Cooked fish on a bed of vegetables can serve as a main course. It is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and also as a hot dish for a holiday. If you need a dietary dish, then such fish can be served. It is convenient to serve fish on a bed of vegetables because the dish can be prepared in advance and baked just before serving. Having prepared the meal in the morning, you don’t have to worry about dinner. Personally, this always helps me out.
I have already shared with you the technology for cooking fish on a vegetable bed in the microwave in this recipe. The version on foil and in the oven turns out to be more elegant and festive.
Budget white fish recipe
For those who prefer economical options for dishes or simply do not like red fish, this recipe for fish in the oven with vegetables (with photo) will seem ideal, because the fillet of the white varieties itself is dry and rather bland. A vegetable bed, on the contrary, will make the fish juicy, soft and aromatic due to the fact that it will lie under it and soak it with its juices during heat treatment.
As a result, in a short period of time, both the main dish and a side dish will be on the table, which is very beneficial for always busy people. It is better to take fish for cooking with a small number of bones: hake, pollock or notothenia are ideal, but you can also use regular carp or pike perch.
Key Points and Recommendations
In the cooking process, spices play an important role, thanks to which you get a unique taste. When baking cod with vegetables in the oven, lemon juice is most often used. It can be replaced with lemon pepper.
White fish fillets often turn out a little dry when baked, so it is better to resort to all kinds of sauces or marinades. This way you will get a more delicate, soft texture of the dish.
Cod bakes in the oven quite quickly; it is very important to monitor the cooking time frame. Usually the thermal process does not last more than 20-25 minutes at an average temperature of 160-180 degrees.
It is also worth noting that baked cod with vegetables in the oven is quite justifiably considered a dietary dish. The average calorie content usually does not exceed 90-100 kcal per 100 grams of product.
Don't forget how rich fish is in vitamins (phosphorus, magnesium, iodine), minerals and antioxidants.
Required Ingredients
To cook fish on a vegetable bed (in the oven) according to the recipe you will need:
- one onion, carrot, sweet pepper;
- two fleshy tomatoes;
- 5 tbsp. l. sour cream or mayonnaise;
- a pinch of black pepper and salt;
- 2 -3 tbsp. l. odorless vegetable oil;
- 1/4 lemon;
- bay leaf optional.
These proportions are given for every 600 grams of prepared fish: fillets or whole carcasses are usually used, but without the head and fins.
How to cook fish on a bed of vegetables
The step by step path is:
- I cut off the required pieces of foil according to the number of servings. I spread them on the work surface of the table.
- On one part of the foil I place potatoes cut into slices, 2 pieces per serving, 6-7 circles of carrots, 3-4 circles of onion rings.
- I sprinkle with sunflower oil, sprinkle with a little salt, sugar and pepper. This will be the vegetable pillow.
- I put the fish on top of the vegetables.
- I pour sunflower oil and sprinkle with salt and thyme.
- Cover with a second piece of foil and wrap the sides tightly.
- I place it on a baking sheet.
- I put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Temperature 160 ᵒC.
- I take it out and place it on a plate directly in the foil.
The dish is served on the table. The foil holds the temperature for a very long time if it is not opened. Everyone decides for themselves when to switch from appetizers to fish on a bed of vegetables.
The photo shows that the originality of the dish is almost intact. The foil is wrapped in a plate. If you wish, you can add soy sauce or any other sauce.
If you want a baked top then:
- 10 minutes before the end of cooking, pull out the portions.
- Open the foil (top only).
- Place back into the oven on top heat to brown.
In this case, the dish should be quickly served and the meal should begin.
First stage of preparation
First, you should decide how the fish will be used: portioned pieces or whole carcasses (if they are small). Based on this, the vegetables will be arranged in a special way. If the carcasses are whole, then the vegetable pillow under the fish in the oven can be distributed over the entire surface of the baking sheet, and the fish can be placed on top in an even layer. Portioned pieces are more convenient to serve, while they (along with vegetables) can be conveniently baked in foil boats, which will additionally retain a large amount of juice in the products, making them incredibly tender and appetizing.
It is also recommended to marinate the fish for half an hour in the following mixture before baking: mix pepper and salt with lemon juice and two tablespoons of mayonnaise. If the mass seems too thick, you can add a little cool water and then coat the fish with it, placing it in a suitable container or plastic bag. While the fish is marinating, you can start preparing the side dish.
What to do next?
In order to cook fish in the oven on a vegetable bed, this very bed must be created from vegetables lightly stewed in oil. To do this, peel the onion and chop it into thin half rings, chop the carrots on a coarse grater, and cut the pepper into strips. Tomatoes - in circles 8 mm thick. Heat a frying pan with oil, heat the onion in it until transparent, then add carrots and peppers and, stirring, sauté for a couple of minutes. The vegetables should only get a slight blush; there is no need to bring them to excessive softness, the oven will do this.
Next, generously grease the baking sheet with oil and place the prepared vegetables on it, distributing them in an even layer over the entire surface. Place tomato rings on top, and fish on them, grease the upper part with sour cream and place the baking sheet in the oven, which is already preheated to 200-220 °C. The fish should be baked for no more than forty minutes, but more often it takes no more than half an hour.
Baked cod with vegetables in the oven - recipe with photos
The simplest step-by-step method for cooking fish in the oven with cheese and vegetables. Ideal for those on a healthy diet or diet. Per 100 grams there are only 95 kcal, the content of proteins, fats, carbohydrates is 8/5/4, respectively. Ingredients:
- Cod fillet – 650 grams;
- Onions – 2 heads;
- Tomatoes – 2 pieces;
- Low-fat sour cream – 100 grams;
- Garlic – 3-4 cloves;
- Fresh dill, parsley;
- Cheese – 100 grams;
- Salt, spices to taste.
Step 1. Peel one of the onions, chop into half rings, and distribute evenly over the bottom of the baking dish.
Step 2. Cut the fish, washed in cold water, into small pieces, add salt and pepper, and place in the next layer in a container.
Step 3. Next you need to prepare sour cream sauce. To do this, mix sour cream with chopped garlic and finely chopped herbs. Gently spread the sauce over the fish with a spoon.
Step 4. Thinly slice the tomatoes into rings and place in the next layer.
Step 5. Cut the second onion into rings (or half rings), place on top of the tomato, according to the photo.
Don’t forget to salt and pepper each layer to taste.
Step 6. Place the grated cheese on a coarse grater as the final layer.
Step 7. Bake the dish in an oven preheated to 180-190 degrees for 25 minutes.
Gourmet option
This recipe for fish with vegetables in the oven talks about the second preparation option: portioned pieces in foil, additionally flavored with grated cheese. Who can resist a cheese crust? For each serving of boneless fish (piece weighing 200 grams) you will need the following combination of products:
- one onion and one fresh tomato;
- 80 grams of hard cheese, grated on a coarse grater;
- We choose a mixture of herbs for fish dishes at our discretion (if spicy fish is not to your taste, then you can limit yourself to salt and a small amount of black pepper).
Before placing the fish in the oven on a bed of vegetables, rub it with seasoning and, if desired, sprinkle with lemon juice. On a square piece of foil located on a baking sheet, put in the center an onion chopped into thin rings, on it slices of tomatoes, which should be lightly sprinkled with cheese, and on them - a piece of fish.
Raise the edges of the foil on all sides, tucking in the corners to form a kind of plate with sides (this is important so that the juice that will form during the heat treatment does not leak out). Place the baking sheet in the oven, set the mode to 200 °C and bake for 15 minutes. Then generously sprinkle the fish on top with grated cheese and return it to the oven for another ten minutes.
Fish with vegetables, options
If you don’t want to bother with serving portions, then you can do the same, but without the bottom layer of foil.
Using the recipe, all vegetables are laid out in a greased form. The fish is placed on top, sprinkled with spices and salt. Next, be sure to cover with foil. The beauty is that the delicate flesh of the fish should be intact and not fall apart into pieces. At the same time, vegetables should also be ready. This can only be achieved under the lid. In this case, under foil.
If using foil or a lid is not possible, pour the sauce over the entire dish and only then put it in the oven for baking. Otherwise, both fish and vegetables will be dry. You can use tomato sauce or tomato sauce with sour cream. However, the dish will no longer look like the one in the photo, and the taste will be different.
You can also bake fish on a bed of vegetables in the microwave as in this recipe.
Vegetable Side Dish Ideas
The vegetable bed for fish in the oven can be varied - it depends on the person’s diet and taste preferences. More dietary options are listed above, and those who want a richer and more satisfying side dish can use the following ideas:
- Lightly fry the potatoes, cut into small cubes, in a small amount of oil in a frying pan, place on a baking sheet, cover with thin onion rings on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place pieces of fish on top, flavoring everything with mayonnaise if desired. Bake for forty minutes and serve with hot sauces.
- Cut the potatoes into thin slices, zucchini and tomatoes as well. Line a baking sheet with foil and generously grease with vegetable oil. Place potatoes on the surface, coat the entire layer with mayonnaise, place zucchini rings on top of it, and tomatoes on them. The top layer is pieces of fish, previously marinated according to the recipe described above. Those who want a feast for the belly can cover everything with grated cheese. Bake for forty minutes at 220°C.
