Sheet-Pan Fish Tikka With Spinach

Sheet-Pan Fish Tikka With Spinach

Tikka marinade imbues meats and veggies with extreme flavor: Complex, layered heat comes from garam masala and red chiles, garlic adds a delicate depth and ginger a mellow freshness, while yogurt cools, tenderizes and extends flavors from the spices. Though traditionally anything with tikka marinade is cooked on coals for smokiness (see Tip), the flavors come together well in a home oven. This recipe calls for any fleshy white fish that can stand this mix of heady spices and maintain its structural integrity for 12 to 15 minutes in the oven. Lay the fish on a bed of spinach, and the marinade will flavor both. The preparation is simple for this recipe, but the flavorful results are anything but.

Yield: 4 servings

1½ pounds firm, white-fleshed fish (such as cod, basa or halibut, cut into chunks)

¼ cup olive oil or any neutral oil

2 tablespoons full-fat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 teaspoon Kashmiri or other red chile powder

1 teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Fine sea salt

1 pound baby spinach (about 14 packed cups)

Rice or roti, for serving

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Pat the fish dry and set aside.

Combine the oil, yogurt, garam masala, chile powder, ginger, garlic, coriander, turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and stir until the marinade is smooth.

Add the fish and coat evenly.

Arrange the spinach in an even layer on a large sheet pan. Place the fish on the spinach, dispersing it evenly.

Bake on the top rack for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the fish starts to turn golden.

Set the oven to broil and broil on high just until the fish turns golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt. Serve with rice or roti, if desired.

Tip: If the smokiness of tikka is nonnegotiable, heat a hot coal on the stove top for 3 to 5 minutes using tongs, loosely wrap it in foil and stick in the oven either on a separate rack or on the sheet pan alongside the fish and spinach. Though hookah charcoal works best for this, you can use a 1-inch cube of any charcoal.

*This turned out really quite good. I used cod, and I was worried it would be bland, as NYT recipes can sometimes be, but it's got a nice little kick to it. We find that fish alone tends to lead to 2 hour later munchies, so I added in half a chopped sweet onion and a can of chickpeas to the marinating fish and it's great. This will go on the regular household rotation for when we have cod available.

*This was delicious. Made exactly as instructed with fresh halibut. The fish came out so moist and tender.

Tip: make sure all spinach sits directly below fish pieces to soak up fish/sauce moisture. Loose spinach pieces on edge will dry out and crisp.

*Made exactly as written with half tilapia and half pacific rockfish. AMAZING! Just the right amount of kick to the spice and absolutely delicious flavour. Spinach was cooked to perfection and paired so well. It had absorbed just the right amount of the marinade. Served with jasmine rice. Our 8 year old found it a little bit too spicy, but ate it easily with a cup of chocolate milk : ) Will be a regular in the house!