Tandoori fish has quickly become my go-to Whole30-friendly seafood recipe on busy weeknights. Why? Because these tender and aromatic fillets are insanely easy to throw together, and they pack a big punch of flavor. Besides, your whole family’ll enjoy Tandoori Fish. Really—even picky Lil-O happily gobbled up these fillets without any grumbling.
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Easy Indian-inspired fish dish
I know—you love fish, but it can be a challenge to serve it up for dinner on a regular basis. Fish is wonderfully healthy and a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, but it can be tough to find a simple, hassle-free weeknight recipe that also tastes great. The struggle is real, folks.
But recently, I rediscovered an old Nom Nom Paleo classic, Super Easy Tandoori Chicken, and realized that I could use this versatile Indian marinade on fish fillets!
Where can you buy tandoori spice blend?
You can buy it at a spice shop, your neighborhood supermarket, or online. Still can’t find it? You can make it yourself with stuff you probably already stock in the spice cabinet. I’ve tried this tandoori marinade with coconut yogurt, coconut cream, and full-fat canned coconut milk, and I can confirm that it works with any of the three. (Personally, coconut yogurt’s my fave.) In terms of choosing fish, any white fish fillet tastes great with this marinade—you can use cod, sea bass, barramundi, halibut, you name it! Yup—this recipe’s delicious, Whole30-friendly, and versatile!
Ingredients
- Boneless white fish fillets: I like using cod, barramundi, sea bass, or tilapia. Yes, you can also use salmon!
- Diamond crystal kosher brand salt: My preferred salt for cooking is Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you use a fine grain salt or Morton’s brand kosher salt, make sure you decrease the amount of salt by about half.
- Plain coconut yogurt (I like Cocojune brand the best), coconut cream, or full-fat coconut milk: To keep things dairy-free, I use unsweetened coconut yogurt, coconut milk, or coconut cream. If you tolerate dairy, you can use plain yogurt.
- Tandoori spice mix (no salt added)
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Lemon wedges: for serving
How to make tandoori fish
Blot the fish fillets dry with paper towel. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the fillets.
In a large bowl, combine the coconut yogurt or coconut milk/cream, tandoori spice mix, and lemon juice.
Mix well to combine.
Add the salted fish fillets and coat them well with the marinade.
Marinate for 20 minutes and up to 1 hour in the fridge. (Heck, you can totally skip this part and the fish will still taste fab.)
Heat oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle. Lay the four fillets on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper.
Pop the tray of fish in the oven.
Bake for 8-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets) or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the fillet reaches 145°F.
No meat thermometer? Cook until the fish is opaque and flakes easily when nudged with a fork. (P.S.: 1-inch fillets take about 10 minutes, but thinner fillets can cook quicker).
Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite veggie side dish. I like to serve the fish with a big green salad, roasted veggies, or cauliflower rice.
Enjoy!
More easy fish recipes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Tandoori Fish
Ingredients
- 4 6-ounce boneless and skinless white fish fillets e.g., cod, sea bass, tilapia, barramundi
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt ½ teaspoon if using Morton’s brand kosher or a fine grain salt
- ½ cup plain coconut yogurt or coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon tandoori spice mix (no salt added)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 lemon sliced into wedges
Instructions
- Blot the fish fillets dry with paper towel. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the fillets.
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut yogurt, tandoori spice mix, and lemon juice. Mix well to combine.
- Add the salted fish fillets and coat them well with the marinade. Marinate for 20 minutes and up to 1 hour in the fridge. (Heck, you can totally skip this part and the fish will still taste fab.)
- Heat oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle. Lay the four fillets on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper.
- Pop the tray of fish in the oven. Bake for 8-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets) or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the fillet reaches 145°F. No meat thermometer? Cook until the fish is opaque and flakes easily when nudged with a fork. (P.S.: 1-inch fillets take about 10 minutes, but thinner fillets can cook quicker).
- Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite veggie side dish. I like to serve the fish with a big green salad, roasted veggies, or cauliflower rice.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks amazing. I bet you could make this ahead of time, freeze the filets individually, then cook them sous vide just taking out as many as you wanted. Have you tried this?
I am not a big fish eater, I try when I can. I made this using 2 thick pieces of sea bass. Delicious. So easy. I marinated it for one hour using coconut cream. I served it with baked cassava fries. Thank you.