Fish has and always will be a huge part of my diet. I fondly recall my parents taking us to the market and buying fresh fish at the weekends; Mackerels, Sardines, Salmon, Sprats etc. and all sorts of Bangladeshi fish (Ilish, Rohu, Ayr, Baim to name a few) were always present at our dining table. Seabream is a relatively new fish to me, one that I hadn’t experienced as a child but is now widely available from good fishmongers. It has a flaky texture similar to that of Seabass but has a very distinct taste which is delicious! It’s extremely suitable for children and adults alike who are nervous about eating fish on the bone as it is not very bony. Fish can be enjoyed in many ways and my Masala Seabream was something I concocted one weekend when I was having my sister over for lunch; Bengalis typically enjoy frying or cooking curries with their fish but I wanted to bake this in the oven as it seemed like a good choice having very few bones and being very fleshy. As I was planning to have this with rice for lunch I wanted to make sure I used spices to season the fish, I imagine this would also be a really good choice for simply grilling with a few basic ingredients too; a splash of olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and some fresh garlic might also do the trick as the fish is naturally very tasty. When we ate lunch we all thoroughly enjoyed the Masala Seabream, so much so that my sister went out and bought three Seabreams herself to enjoy at home with her kids!

Whenever I bake my Masala Seabream I always add some form of vegetable to the fish as I enjoy the taste of vegetables that have baked in the spices and juice of the fish, if however you are planning to simply bake a whole fish and no vegetables then perhaps use a little less of each required ingredient listed below as you may have some surplus Masala paste. When selecting which vegetables to use, think of vegetables that cook fairly easily; courgettes, peppers, broccoli, mangetout, french beans, carrots, asparagus, red onions etc. are all good choices and will not only add flavour but will also add colour to an otherwise simple dish. Throw in some of your favourite herbs to add fragrance and season the fish; I have used lemon thyme and fresh coriander in the past and have also added cloves of garlic.  You can also add lemon slices to the inside of the fish prior to cooking if you would like to add some zest to the finished dish or alternatively garnish with lemon slices/wedges before serving. My Masala Seabream is a really simple but extremely tasty dish that beginners and more advanced cooks, I hope, are sure to enjoy!

Serves – 4

You will need:

1 Seabream
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mixed curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp tandoori masala powder
1 tsp salt
vegetables of your choice (I am using 1 red onion, 2 sweet pointed peppers, 3 cloves of garlic and 1 head of broccoli on this occasion)

Method:

Start by removing all of the fins on the Seabream, this will make descaling the fish easier.

Remove fins from either side of the head and along the top and bottom parts of the fish.

To descale the fish I like to use a large tablespoon and run it against the scales, you may want to use a daa for this part if you are Bengali/own a daa (this is a large Bengali cutting tool).

After descaling, score both sides of the fish using a sharp knife, this will help the spices penetrate into the flesh of the fish (top right photo).

Lastly make an incision just below where you removed the fins at the bottom of the fish, you will be gutting the fish from this point. Once cut use your fingers and remove all of the insides….this was not very nice to do and then have to pick up my camera to take a shot!

Next cut the gills from either side of the head, I like to remove the furry bits inside the head including the gnashers (teeth)!

Give the fish a good thorough wash and allow to drain for 10 minutes. Remove any excess moisture with a kitchen towel/paper and place the Seabream on a large piece of foil before proceeding to prepare the masala.

In a small bowl measure 2 tbsp of oil, 1 tsp of mixed curry powder, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp of chilli powder….

….1/2 tsp of tandoori masala powder and 1 tsp of salt. Mix all of the spices with the oil to create the masala paste. Brush the Seabream with the masala paste….

….use up all of the paste and get into all the cuts and scores.

Next take the vegetables you are using and cut/slice how you wish to; I cut my red onion and sweet peppers into circular discs as they look pretty like this.

Take 3 cloves of garlic and crush/slice and sprinkle over the fish along with the sliced vegetables.

Lastly separate the broccoli into smaller florets and sprinkle over the fish. Seal the fish in the foil, place on an oven tray and cook in a hot oven on gas mark 4 – 5 for about 30 minutes covered in foil and a further 10 minutes uncovered (this will help evaporate any excess moisture released from the fish/vegetables). The Masala Seabream is ready when the vegetables are fully cooked and most of the moisture has evaporated.

Serve this hot out of the oven with some plain rice and savour the flavour!

Bon Appetit!!

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