Baked Tandoori Cod Recipe
One of the most well-known dishes in Indian cuisine is tandoori chicken — a sizzling, heavily spiced dish traditionally made inside an earth-bound clay oven. While the seasoning and marinade are typically always the same, the dish is named for the cooking vessel famous for being powerfully hot. The intense heat, according to Food and Wine, cooks a whole chicken in less than 10 minutes. And that puffy, chewy naan served with your curry? It's responsible for that too.
We'd reckon that most people don't have a tandoor oven at home, especially not one that's buried in the backyard. Further, not everyone eats chicken (or maybe you just have fish to use up). That's where this baked tandoori cod comes in: Firm white filets are coated with a traditional yogurt and chile marinade, then baked at high heat until flaky. Developer Michelle McGlinn also shares below a refreshing side salad inspired by raita, a typical creamy condiment served with spicy Indian fare. The cooling cucumber is the perfect addition to the spicy baked cod; and even better, it comes together quickly, making it the perfect meal for busy weeknights.
Gathering the ingredients for baked tandoori cod
Cod is a good fish to use for this recipe because it's dense and neutral flavored. A fish such as tilapia may tear apart under the marinade, whereas a fish like salmon may overpower the flavorful spices. Other fish that could work are whitefish, sea bass, or catfish.
To marinate the fish, you'll need Greek yogurt, olive oil, paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cloves, salt, and Kashmiri chili powder. This chili powder differs from the typical chili powder in the spice aisle because it is made from Kashmiri chiles, which have a vibrant red color that naturally dyes the food it touches; hence why tandoori chicken is bright red. If you can't find this type of chili powder, swap for regular chili powder.
You'll then already have most of the ingredients for the raita salad, so you'll just need to grab cucumbers, red onion, and cilantro.
Marinate the fish
Whisk together the yogurt, chili powder, olive oil, paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cloves, and salt until smooth. Fully coat the fish using your hands, then let the fish marinate in the yogurt mixture for about 30 minutes. During this time, you could make side dishes like rice or naan to serve with the cod.
Bake the cod
Line a baking sheet with parchment to avoid burning the yogurt onto the bottom of your sheet tray. Brush the cod gently with your fingers to remove any thick excess marinade, then arrange the cod onto the parchment. Bake at 400 F until the cod is flaky throughout. Some of the larger pieces may need a few extra minutes. When the cod is ready, the marinade will be a deeper red color and the fish will flake easily with a fork.
Mix the cucumber salad together
Slice the cucumbers using a mandolin slicer, or test your knife skills by cutting thin rounds by hand. Do the same with the red onion, thinly slicing pieces to fold into the yogurt. Mix the cucumbers, onion, yogurt, cumin, and cilantro together until creamy, adding oil if the mixture is too thick. Add a pinch of salt and taste. If the salad is still bland, sprinkle in more salt.
Serving tandoori cod
To serve the cod as a full meal, divide fragrant basmati rice into bowls and layer with warm cod. Spoon the cucumber salad over the cod and serve with a basket of warm garlic naan. This cod also makes great leftovers or meal prep, as it stores easily in airtight containers for up to a week. The cucumber salad is a little trickier to save, because the cucumbers emit water that eventually soaks into the yogurt, making the salad a little watery. If you're planning a meal prep, divide cucumbers, onion, and yogurt between portions and enjoy as individual toppings, instead.
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin, divided
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 pound cod, cut into 5-inch pieces
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- In a bowl, mix together ½ cup of yogurt, olive oil, chili powder, paprika, turmeric, 1 tablespoon cumin, coriander, cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt until very well combined.
- Coat each piece of fish with the yogurt mixture. Place the filets in the bowl and marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Place cod on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until flaky throughout.
- In the meantime, combine ½ cup yogurt, ½ tablespoon cumin, cilantro, cucumbers, and onion in a bowl until completely combined. Season to taste with salt.
- Serve cod warm alongside the cucumber raita salad.
| Calories per Serving | 254 |
| Total Fat | 12.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.6 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 58.3 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 9.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.7 g |
| Total Sugars | 4.3 g |
| Sodium | 611.2 mg |
| Protein | 27.1 g |
