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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.