Caribbean Baked Fish

If you're fed up of fried fish or simply looking for a healthier way to cook fish the island way then this Caribbean baked fish recipe is what you need to try. It's simple, a whole fish of your choice, seasoned, stuffed with vegetables and leafy greens and baked to perfection.

If you're from the Caribbean or in the diaspora then you will already know just how important fish is to the Caribbean diet (I'm talking from a non-vegan stand point).

Fish is part of the backbone of the islands and I say this because the fishing industry contributes to the social and economical development of the Caribbean, just like tourism does.

I'm a fish lover myself, like many of you I grew up on the many cooking variations - steamed, fried, grilled and baked. 

Along with the different types of fish - mulling, sprats, red herring, blue marlin, snapper, cod, saltfish, parrot fish, doctor, barracuda, goatfish etc...so you know where I'm coming from and can completely emphasize with you.

Today I'm going to show you one of my favourite ways to eat fish that doesn't require ANY frying at all. 

It's a 2 in 1 recipe, which involves stuffing the cavity of the fish. The stuffing is made up of vegetables, something that I would normally pair it with.

Changing cooking habits

I feel like baked/roasted fish is the least celebrated with many opting for fried fish where possible. 

Don't get me wrong I love the taste of fried fish, I'm human too and it's something that I grew up on as mentioned before.

However, I'm all about promoting and raising awareness about other ways of cooking island food while maintaining good health (where possible).

Don't forget to check this great roundup of Low Carb Caribbean Recipes to try.

I've spoken to people before about the concept of baking fish, I've asked the question why baked fish isn't the preferred method. 

What people seem to miss is that crunch and crispiness from frying and while I definitely get where they are coming from.

Ultimately, I want to show you all some other ways that you can enjoy fish that doesn't always involve using a large volume of oil.

Baking instead of frying

First of all, let's just explore and delve into the notion of baking versus frying fish.

We have already established the major selling point for fried fish is the texture, the crispy exterior

However, there are some disadvantages to frying fish, whether it's pan or deep fat fried with the latter being the biggest offender.

Both methods involve submerging fish in oil at a high cooking temperate. Depending on the choice of oil, this can cause further problems (like harmful compounds) if the oil doesn't have a high smoke point.

Pan frying, only uses a small amount of oil, so this doesn't pose the greatest risk here.

I'm more focused on raising awareness on deep fat frying, which destroys the nutritional value of the fish.

It negatively, impacts the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty 6 (the good fats that help to prevent against heart disease and not to mention adds more calories.

This really isn't the best cooking method if you want to be on the good side of healthy eating. 

Pan fry if you really have to in moderation (this is what I do) using olive, avocado or coconut oil (but this is a subject for another day.)

Baked/roasted fish is by far the better option, granted the texture isn't quite the same as fried fish but your body will thank you for doing so.

Another great alternative that I like to do is air fry my fish too. A good example of this is my Air Fryer Whole Fish recipe using bream.

Most fish are high in vitamin D, omega fats along with being a great source in minerals - potassium, calcium, iron, iodine and zinc just to name a few.

Baking fish requires dry heat unlike frying which uses wet heat, meaning less nutrition is loss and is a great way to help to retain all that goodness. 

Stuffing and baking the fish

The recipe starts by preparing the stuffing, which is an assortment of vegetables. Until I get a callaloo hookup (the struggle is real) I used spinach or kale. 

If you're living in the diaspora and cannot manage to find callaloo, that's okay because any leafy green will make a great substitute.

My fall back tends to rotate between curly kale and spinach but spinach does wilt a lot so kale tends to be my go to more often then not.

The vegetables are steamed to begin with before being stuffed inside the cavity. You can hold the stuffing in place by tying it with some string but I think this is only warranted if you plan to overstuff the fish.

The marinade

The fish itself is seasoned with my favourite homemade seafood seasoning. This bad boy, pops up in SO recipes and you guys seem to love it, so I'm happy to hear that!

I created a very simple marinade with my seafood seasoning and some dairy free butter.

Then lightly coated the entire fish with the marinade, if the thought of using any butter/oil concerns you then you may want to just sprinkle the seasoning directly onto the fish (neat).

To prevent the fish from sticking, it's advisable to lay a sheet of parchment paper on top of the aluminium foil, at the bottom (where the fish will be placed).

You may want to do what I'm doing and that is to bake the fish (closed/wrapped) and then open it when it has completely cooked.

This partial roasting (exposing the fish for a short amount of time to open heat) gives the exterior more colour and more definition.

The steps

• Place aluminium foil on a baking sheet along with some parchment paper on top and set aside.
• Mix together the melted butter along with the seafood seasoning in a small bowl to create a wet rub then set aside.
• Place the washed/dried fish on a chopping board then using a chef's knife (or utility knife) slash the fish diagonally, 2-3 times with a 3-4cm gap in between each slash. Be careful not to slash too deep into the fish cavity. Repeat this step on the other side.
• Place the fish on top of the parchment paper with the foil underneath.
• Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the cavity and both sides of each fish with the butter/seasoning mix including the diagonal slashes too then set aside.
• Add the olive oil to the skillet on medium heat.
• Add the onion and garlic then sauté until soft and translucent.

• Add the tomatoes and continue to stir for about 1 minute before adding the cho cho, okra and the leafy greens of your choice.
• Add the warm water to the pan then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with the lid.
• Allow the greens to steam for about 5 minutes.
• Once steamed (drain off any excess water), season with the seafood seasoning, dairy free butter, black pepper and pink salt to taste
• Stuff the cavity of the fish with the vegetables, putting in as much as you can into each fish.
• Loosely wrap the fish with the aluminium foil
• Bake the fish for roughly 30 minutes
• Remove the fish from the oven and then unwrap the fish leaving the top side exposed and lightly roast the fish for 5-10 minutes.

Notes and tips

• You will need to use a whole fish in order to stuff it. Oily whole fish such as snapper, doctor fish, parrot fish etc.. will work.
• If possible use callaloo or dasheen bush to make it more Caribbean themed. I used kale because living in diaspora, it's not always easy to get hold of callaloo/dasheen bush.
• If you don't like gutting/scaling fish ask your fish monger to do this for you.
• As per Caribbean custom the fish is washed (I used lime/vinegar/salt), see my post showing how to make Stew Fish if you want to learn more.
• You will need my homemade Seafood Seasoning to season the fish.
• Don't forget to season the cavity before stuffing the fish as well as the outside. You will want to apply the seasoning between the clashes too.

More fish recipes to try

• Caribbean Saltfish Salad
• Green Fig and Saltfish
• Mackerel and Fish
• Ackee and Saltfish
• Jamaican Steamed Fish
• Curry Cod
• Saltfish Fritters
• Buljol

Other side dish to pair this with

• Cauliflower Rice
• Bammy
• Mash Yam
• Mashed Plantain
• Steamed Cabbage
• Caramelized Onions
• Curried Roast Potatoes

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