| Basa Fish Fillet Or Bhetki/Barramundi Fish Fillet | 1 |
| Salt | 1 TSP (to taste) |
| Pepper | a pinch |
| Sugar | ½ TSP |
| Chopped Garlic | 1 TSP |
| Butter | 1 TBSP |
| Refined Flour/Maida | 2 and ½ TBSP |
| Milk | 2 and ½ cups or 400 ml |
| Cheese | One Slice and 3 cubes |
| Olive Oil | ½ TSP |
Baked Fish! This dish is one of my favourites. As a teenager me and my college friends used to eat our way around Kolkata restaurants and discover the latest hotspots. This particular dish was available only in one restaurant in our known vicinity.....Lazeez . Tried recreating that dish and it turned out to be exactly the same. The fish that is generally used in this recipe is a Bhetki/Barramundi, but I have used Basa here. The roux used in this dish is made a tad bit differently than the usual one.
Preparation:
STEP 1- Marinade the Fish Fillet with a pinch of Salt and a pinch of Pepper. Keep it covered for 5 mins.
STEP 2- In a pan, pour ½ a cup of Milk and add the marinated fish. Cook it on low flame for 5 mins.
STEP 3- In a saucepan, pour 1 TSP of olive oil along with 1 TBSP of butter. Olive oil prevents the butter from burning. Keep the flame on medium high.
STEP 4- Add 2 and ½ TBSP of refined flour/maida and keep stirring for ½ a minute.
STEP 5- Once the color of the flour turns pale, start adding 1 and ½ cups of milk gradually. The milk should be of room temperature. Mix it well and keep stirring it.
STEP 6- In about a minute you’ll see the milk start to thicken. This is called roux. Lower the flame at this point of time.
STEP 7- Time to add the flavors. Add 1 TSP of chopped garlic, ½ TSP of Salt(to taste), 1 Cheese Slice and 1/2 TSP of sugar. This recipe of baked fish has a slight sweetness to it which accentuates the cheesy taste. After a min, switch off the flame. Your white sauce is ready. The white sauce for this dish needs to be a bit thick as shown in the video.
STEP 8- In an oven proof bowl, add the poached fish, white sauce and top it with grated cheese (3 cubes).
STEP 9- Put the bowl inside a microwave in the micro and grill combination for 15 mins at 180 degree Celsius. You can also make it in an OTG or a saucepan. If you are making this in an OTG you will need to preheat the oven for 5 mins. Then put the oven proof bowl inside for 10-15 mins (keep checking in between) at 180 degree Celsius. If you are making it in a saucepan, then preheat the covered saucepan for about 10 mins. Post that, keep the bowl on a stand and cover the saucepan. Let it bake for 20 mins or until the cheese melts.
STEP 10- Your Baked Fish is ready to be served. Serve the fish with bread or boiled vegetables (Carrots, Beans, and Cauliflower). If you are serving boiled vegetables along with the fish then make sure the vegetables are cooked al dente.