This Crispy Coconut Crusted Fish with Chili Orange Glaze is gives you all of the crunch of fried, without the mess. It comes out cruncy and golden, thanks to a special trick used for the breading. Using unsweetened coconut lets all the flavor of the coconut shine, without the distraction of the sweetness and the orange chili glaze gives just a touch of sweet heat. Take yourself on a tropical vacation anytime with this crunchy fish dish!
When I first started wedding planning, I spent hours and hours looking for hotels and Airbnbs with potentional. I found a few that checked the boxes, so I planned a few visits, hoping that one of them would check out. The first place on my list was Hotel Villas San Ignacio. I arrived and was immediately smitten by the patterned tile floors, terracotta roof, and beautiful outdoor spaces. Of course, I had to take advantage of their restaurant on my visit. After all, a girl’s gotta eat and if there was a possibility of having our wedding there, the food needed to be a minimum of good. Their menu looked pretty decent, but the item that stood out the most was a coconut crusted fish with passionfruit sauce. I was in a tropical paradise, so it seemed like the best option. Now I’m not saying that coconut crusted fish was the reason we decided to have our wedding at Villa San Ignacio, but I’m not saying it wasn’t.
That fish was crunchy, coconuty, a little sweet and a little spicy thanks to the sauce, and worth ordering over and over again. Living in a tiny country sandwiched by Pacific and Carribean beaches, seafood is abundant and affordable. Come to think of it, it’s not so different from the Alabama Gulf Coast. Lucky for me, I happen to love seafood. As much as I loved that coconut crusted fish at Villa San Ignacio, I knew I needed more coconut and fish in my life at home. Lately, I’ve been loving any recipe that comes together using just my oven, so I knew frying was out of the question for me. It’s summertime and I just can’t be bothered to stand over the heat of the stove top.
That Coconut Crunch
So if we aren’t frying, how are we going to get this fish golden and crunchy? I don’t know about you, but I’ve made plenty of recipes that promised to get crunchy in the oven, only to end up kind of mushy. We’re going to use a fail-proof trick to make sure our fish comes out perfectly. The trick? We are toasting our coconut and panko BEFORE using it as our breading.While your oven is preheating, add your breadcrumbs and coconut to a baking sheet without oil. Toss them together, spread the mixture into an even layer, and pop it in the oven for just a few minutes, tossing after the first 2 minutes. Don’t step away, because we can go from golden brown to charcoal in about 60 seconds. Toasting the breading to a perfect golden color ensures that our fish will come out super crispy. You don’t even have to stink up your house frying! While your oven is preheating, add your breadcrumbs and coconut to a baking sheet without oil. Toss it together, spread it into an even layer and bake for just a few minutes. As soon as it is toasted, remove from the oven and place it into a shallow dish for breading.
Battered
We aren’t using a simple egg wash here. Oh no. We are going for flavor and maximum breading adhearance. To make this batter, get ready to get in an arm workout. Whisk your egg whites until they are nice and foamy. We aren’t making meringue here, so don’t get tood carried away. However, we definitely want some air in this batter. Once you’ve whipped, whipped it good, add in the remaining batter ingredients and stir it all up. Drop in your fish filets and make sure to get them a good coating of batter.
Breaded
Set up your breading mixture right by your batter and one at a time, place the fish filets in the breading. You will want to mash the breading into the fish to make sure it is very well coated. No breading bald spots, please.
Baked
Lay out your little fishes on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving some room between each filet. Pop it in the oven and while it is going, mix up your glaze. Grab a small bowl and zest your orange into the bowl, making sure not to zest any of the bitter white pith. Trust me, it is not delicious. Once you’ve got your zest, add the remaining glaze ingredients and give it a stir. Once your fish is ready, serve it hot with the glaze on the side.
If you want to make Crispy Coconut Crusted Fish with Chili Orange Glaze, here is how you can do it…
Crispy Coconut Crusted Fish with Chili Orange Glaze
Ingredients
Crispy Coconut Crusted Fish
- 3/4 cup dried, unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 lb fish filets, talapia or red snapper would be great options
Chili Orange Glaze
- 2 tbsp thai sweet chili sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 tsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
- While oven is preheating, on an ungreased baking sheet, mix together the coconut and panko to make the breading mixture and arrange in an even layer.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg white with a whisk until thick and foamy. Add the flour, mayo, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk together to make the batter.
- Toss the fish filets in the batter to coat.
- Once the oven is preheated, place the breading mixture in the oven for 2 minutes. Remove from the oven, tossing the breading mixture and return to the oven for 1 more minute until golden and toasted. Remove from the oven and immeditatly transfer the breading mixture to to a shallow dish.
- Place the fish one piece at a time in the breading mixture, turning once and pressing the breading into the fish to coat completely.
- Place fish onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 400 F (204 C) 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.
- Whle your fish is cooking, in a small bowl mix together the chili sauce, orange juice, orange zest and honey to make the glaze.
- Remove the fish from the oven and serve immediately with the glaze on the side.
Notes
- Toasting the coconut and panko is the key to making sure this oven baked fish comes out crispy and toasted! You could also try the same method with shrimp for delicious baked coconut shrimp.
- Serve the sauce on the side for dipping or drizzling.