Whole fish marinated in tandoori spices is really fun to serve. It looks the part. I like to use sea bream or sea bass but you could really use the whole fish of your choice. I’ve even used this recipe with fresh water trout.
You could bake it in an oven that is heated to its highest setting. If cooking on a barbecue like I did, you will probably need to skewer the fish with two skewers to ensure it doesn’t fall off into the coals. You could also use a rack for the barbecue.
I tend not to place the fish directly onto a grill as the skin sticks and the presentation isn’t nearly as nice.
Yield: 4
Tandoori Style Whole Fish

Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 whole Bream or Bass
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- 50ml white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin and coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon tandoori masala paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 1 lemon quartered
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Make shallow slits on each side of the fish. Blend all of the remaining ingredients to make your marinade.
- Season with salt to taste and then rub the marinade all over the fish and marinate for about 30 minutes.
- Skewer the fish and place over a prepared barbecue and grill on both sides until cooked through. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and your favourite chutney. I served this with your favourite raita or chutney
Dave
Wednesday 14th of March 2012
Hi Dan,I will be trying this one tonight I have a sea bream in my fridge I bought yesterday.I was going to tandoori it but stumbled on this recipe when browsing your recipes,let you know how it went. Dave
Jo
Thursday 8th of March 2012
Does anyone know what the missing ingredient in dry spices is???