Go Back
–+ servings

Baked Pomfret

baked pomfret on a tray
Kanchan Dilip
Baked Pomfret is an Indonesian dish where the whole fish is baked with an aromatic marinade of spices, cashew nuts and ginger. It is a tantalizing recipe that calls for three types of ginger, sambal, and other spices that give an additional kick to the whole fish. This tender, flaky and aromatic fish made without any oil is quite easy to prepare. The fish can be marinated the previous night and baked in large batches for any formal or casual dining experience at home.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indonesian
Servings 3 whole pomfret
Calories 200 kcal

Equipment

  • Food processor, oven

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 white pomfret
  • ¾ cup cashew nut powder
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp galangal
  • 1 tsp old ginger
  • 1 shallot
  • 6 Thai yellow chili
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 4 dried shrimp soaked
  • 1 tbsp tamarind
  • 1 tsp coconut palm sugar
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 sprig cilantro

Instructions
 

  • Clean the pomfret, make incisions, and keep aside. (See blog post on how to clean the pomfret)
    make incisions on pomfret
  • Place all the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor.
    place the ingredients of the marinade
  • Pulse the ingredients to a fine paste. Add very little water, if needed.
    grind the mariande
  • Slather the marinade on the whole pomfret. Work the marinade into the incisions. Marinate the fish overnight in sealed Ziploc bags in the refrigerator. The following day, wrap each fish with foil. Pre-heat oven to 3500 F.
    wrap the fish in foil
  • Seal the whole fish with foil and place them an inch apart on a greased baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes.
    seal the fish to bake the pomfret
  • Then, remove the tray from the oven and open the foil. Broil the fish again for 15 minutes at 4500F. Do not flip the fish or add any oil or fat.
    broil the baked fish
  • Garnish the fish with endives and watercress. Serve hot in a fish tray.
    baked pomfret in a tray

Notes

  1. The whole fish need not be flipped over during baking. 
  2. If you cannot find galangal or fresh ginger, then use old ginger. 
  3. Dried shrimp is essential for this dish and cannot be omitted.
  4. Use any bird's eye chili or dried chilis.
  5. Cashew nuts are the main base for this creamy marinade. Feel free to use macadamia nuts instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 8gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 1222mgPotassium: 395mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 389IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 3mg
Keyword baked fish, baked pomfret
Rate the RecipeLet us know how the recipe turned out by giving a star rating or leaving a comment