Baking
Baking suits all types of fish and shellfish. It is an excellent way to cook whole fish, but you can also bake fish fillets and steaks. You can bake fish dry or in liquid.
How to dry-bake fish
1. If your fish fillets are thick, sear them in a fry pan before you begin, to help seal in the moisture.
2. Put the fish or fish fillets into a well-oiled ovenproof dish.
3. If the fish is an oily variety, brush it with lemon juice.
4. Put uncovered in the oven to bake at 180–190°C.
5. Baste the fish right through the cooking time, until the fish is browned and tender.
How to bake fish in liquid
1. Put the fish in an oiled ovenproof dish.
2. Cover the fish with your choice of liquid — people often use a tomato mixture, milk, or stock.
3. Place (uncovered) in the oven to bake at 190°C.
How to bake fish in foil
You’ll get good results when you bake any type of fish in foil — and you can use this method whether you’re cooking whole fish, fish fillets, or fish steaks.
1. Cut foil or greaseproof paper large enough to wrap the fish like a parcel.
2. Grease or oil the foil or paper.
3. Use a sharp knife to make shallow cuts in the outside of a whole fish.
4. Put the fish on the foil or greaseproof paper and season with salt and pepper.
5. Add your choice of fresh herbs, onion, tomato, lemon, orange, or mushrooms.
6. Fold the edges of the foil or paper together tightly to make an airtight seal. (You can also brush the foil or paper with lightly beaten egg white to make sure the seal is air tight.)
7. Bake in the oven at 220ºC.
Recommended baking times for fish
| How fat is the thickest part of the fish? | Dry-baking time (in minutes) | Liquid and foil baking times (in minutes) | ||
| Fresh | Frozen | Fresh | Frozen | |
| 1cm | 8 | 17 | 8 | 17 |
| 2cm | 11 | 22 | 11 | 22 |
| 3cm | 15 | 35 | 15 | 35 |
| 4cm | 20 | 39 | 20 | 36 |
How to bake shellfish
Shellfish are best baked in liquid or a sauce. Raw shellfish, like raw oysters and scallops, take longer to cook than pre-cooked meats like mussels. These only need to be heated through before serving.
Cooking times also depend on the temperature of the sauce or liquid you put the shellfish into. Shellfish added to a hot liquid need less cooking time than shellfish added to a cooler liquid.
If you are cooking raw shellfish in their shells, they are cooked when the shells open — discard any that remain shut.