The phrase "to marinate the fish" means to soak the fish in a mixture of various seasonings and liquids to add flavor and make it more tender before cooking it. Full definition
I also marinated the fish for 5 days in an air tight seal - a-meal tpye bag. (cookingforengineers.com)
I would probably marinate the fish with fish sauce just to get some flavor into the flesh, then pan-fry it. (shesimmers.com)
I'd make it again, but not put the chili oil on the zuccini and maybe marinate the fish in garlic, oil & lime and maybe add a lowfat yogurt / garlic / cilantro / lime sauce. (epicurious.com)