Orange Fish Recipe
This is not a typical Bengal dish, this is heavily inspired by foreign cuisine. What I can confirm is that this dish is a certified Moni Dadi Special. If you have been around for long, you know these recipes are collected from Moni Dadi’s recipe diary, a diary she wrote in the 80s/90s. All the recipes there are her specialty, and she had a wide range.
Moni Dadi had simple Bangla recipes for shaak (leafy green vegetable), as well as fish steak or other fancy and foreign recipes. Today’s recipe is a part of the latter. Recipes for Orange Fish are plentiful online, but Moni Dadi’s version is completely unique – blending different culinary styles into this one dish. And of course her recipe predates all of the recipes you will find online.
Today’s recipe was made by Zoya Ahmed. This was her first time making something from Moni Dadi’s recipe book for the website. She did do some cooking for herself from the recipe diary, but not anything officially. So this recipe was on her to-do list for quite some time and she was really excited about finally making it.
In Zoya Ahmed’s own words, “Moni Dadi, with her culinary genius, always knew how to turn simple ingredients into something magical.” So going in, she knew the recipe for Orange Fish was going to be special. She added a twist of her own because she loves a little heat in her food. And since she is much more experienced in the culinary arts, I trust her to nail the recipe.
She changed up the classic Orange Fish recipe by incorporating gochujang sauce for a spicy kick and used a combination of rice flour and all-purpose flour for a crispy coating. She added bell peppers, garlic, onions, and green chilies to it as well to make it more flavourful!
And my trust was well placed. The dish was perfect in every way. And I repeat, you will not find another Orange Fish recipe like this on the internet. There are Honey Orange Fish Fillets recipes and others, but none have this many spices working to give the dish a burst of flavor.
The Orange Fish simply looks exquisite. Seeing the name and ingredients, I thought the dish would have a sweet, spicy and tangy combination. But I did not expect the dish to live up to its name by its vibrant colors. And I am all for dishes that make your mouth water through a computer screen.
And speaking of the way the dish looks, it is even kinda misleading. When I first saw the video of the dish, I thought Zoya Apu made a chicken dish. Fish fillets in Bengali cuisine are not really popular. And you probably know Bengali cuisine has a treasure trove of fish curries, but not much else. So my brain, tantalized by the dish, thought it was chicken.
The recipe is a bit complex, so I recommend any regular wannabe cook to strictly follow the instructions. But you can also go wild and get back to us with your experiments. We love it when you take a recipe from us, and give it your own spin. That is the culinary spirit we believe in.
FAQ
Do fish and orange go together?
Yes! Fish and orange can pair wonderfully together. Orange adds a sweet-tangy depth, balancing the fish’s richness while enhancing its flavor.
Ingredients
- 500 gm Fish fillet cut into medium-sized pieces
- 1 tbsp Vinegar for marinating
- 1 tsp Garlic paste for marinating
- 1/2 tsp Ginger paste for marinating
- 1/2 cup Orange juice
- 1/2 tsp Soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Gochujang sauce for a spicy twist
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 1 tbsp Rice flour
- 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1 Bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 Onion thinly sliced
- 2 Green chilies sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- Spring onions for garnish
Instructions
- Combine vinegar, garlic paste, and ginger paste, and marinate the fish fillets with this mixture for 15–20 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, mix orange juice, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, honey, and gochujang sauce to create a spicy, tangy sauce.
- Lightly coat the marinated fish pieces with cornflour, all purpose flour and rice flour.
- Deep fry the coated fish pieces until golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
- In the same pan, heat a little oil and sauté the sliced onions, bell pepper, garlic, and green chilies until they soften and become fragrant (about 3–4 minutes).
- Add the prepared sauce mixture to the sautéed vegetables and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it thickens slightly.
- Toss the fried fish into the sauce and vegetables, stirring gently to coat the pieces evenly.
- Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot.
