Tomato + Onion Steamed Fish — Healthy 15-Min Dinner

Healthy fish steamed on a bed of tomato + onion with coriander paste — light, bright, ready in 15 minutes total. The tomato + onion bed flavours the fish + creates a built-in sauce; the coriander paste adds Asian-fresh fragrance. Perfect summer dinner that doesn't weigh you down.

Works on any white fish fillet. Caught fresh + cooked same day = exceptional.

Photo by HamZa NOUASRIA on Unsplash

Serves: 2 · Prep: 5 minutes · Cook: 12-15 minutes · Equipment: camp oven OR covered saucepan / Dutch oven

Photo: Hanna Balan / Unsplash

• 2 fish fillets (skin + bones removed) — bream, snapper, flathead, whiting, blue-eye trevalla, barramundi all work
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 large brown onion, diced
• 1 dessertspoon coriander paste (~1 tbsp — buy in tubes from supermarket, or DIY: blend coriander leaves + roots + garlic + lime juice + oil)
• 1 dessertspoon butter or margarine
• Salt + cracked black pepper to taste

Optional add-ins: 2 cloves grated garlic; 1 tsp grated ginger; 1 chopped chilli; 2 tbsp white wine; sliced spring onions to garnish; squeeze of lime at end.

To serve: steamed jasmine rice, fresh lime wedges, crusty bread for the sauce.

1. Pre-heat camp oven to medium heat over a coal bed. (Or use a heavy frying pan with a tight lid on a butane stove.)

2. Sweat the vegetables. Melt the butter in the pan. Add tomato, onion, salt + pepper. Stir for 3-4 minutes until tomato starts to break down + onion softens.

3. Add the fish on top. Lay the fillets on top of the tomato + onion bed (don't bury them).

4. Top with coriander paste. Spoon the coriander paste evenly over the fillets — a thin streak per fish.

5. Lid on. Steam 8-10 minutes on medium heat. Cook time depends on the fillet thickness: - Thin fillets (1-2cm) — 6-8 minutes - Medium fillets (2-3cm) — 8-10 minutes - Thick fillets (3-4cm) — 10-12 minutes

6. Test for doneness: flesh should be opaque + flake easily with a fork. The juices from the fish + tomato create a built-in sauce in the pan.

7. Plate up. Lift the fish onto a plate. Spoon the tomato-onion bed AND the cooking liquid alongside — that's your sauce. Garnish with spring onions + lime wedges.

• Don't overcook the fish. Steam-cooked fish goes from perfect to dry in about 60 seconds. Pull at the slight-translucent moment + let carry-over heat finish the job
• Coriander paste alternatives: 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander + 1 clove garlic minced + 1 tsp lime juice = quick paste. Or use Thai green curry paste for spicy variation
• Add chilli for heat — sliced fresh chilli or chilli flakes in the marinade
• Wine upgrade: 2 tbsp dry white wine added with the fish lifts the dish significantly
• Cooking with the lid on traps steam — that's how the fish cooks. Don't peek too often (loses heat)
• Serve over rice — soaks up the brilliant pan juices
• Asian variation: add 1 tbsp soy + 1 tsp sesame oil + grated ginger + spring onions. Restaurant-quality Asian fish
• Mediterranean variation: swap coriander for parsley + basil; add capers + olives. Provençal style
• Camp version: works perfectly in a covered Dutch oven on a butane stove. Or in a camp oven over coals (gentle heat)
• Healthy bonus: low fat, high protein, gentle on the digestion. Perfect after a big lunch or if you've been overdoing it

The healthy fish dinner that takes 15 minutes start to finish. Light, bright, fragrant + generous on flavour. The tomato-onion bed creates the sauce while the fish cooks; the coriander paste adds Asian-fresh perfume.

Caught your dinner that morning + want a clean, healthy way to cook it without deep-fryer fuss? This is the recipe. Pair with rice + a glass of cold sav blanc + you've got a perfect summer evening.