Fish Fry
Coming from Kanyakumari, a coastal town in the state of Tamil Nadu on India’s southern tip. We have plenty of fresh catch fish available throughout the day. Fish is one of the staple dish which we cook almost daily. The common dish which we make is meen kuzhambu, fried fish and rasam. I prefer fried fish more than fish curry. But due to health reason, I stick to curry. Still we make fried fish twice a week because kids love it.
About Fish Fry
A fish fry recipe is also known as fried fish that is marinated, battered or breaded and deep fried or shallow fried in a pan. It is one of the most loved dish in the whole world. Every country in the world has their own version of fried fish. In Britain fish and chips is one of the most popular dish. Fried fish and chips is usually served with French fries, coleslaw, tartar sauce, hot sauce, malt vinegar. Some Native American recipes call for coating the fish with semolina and egg yolk. There is a popular fried fish known as boquerones fritos in spain which is usually served as tapas. It is tiny anchovies fish coated in plain flour and fried till crispy.
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My Recipe for Fish Fry
In India, specially South India we marinate fish in variety of spices, fresh ginger and garlic, curry leaves and lemon juice. Marinated fish is fried in oil along with some curry leaves for flavour. Usually fish fry made in South Indian and Kerala is either pan fried or tawa fried. In many Indian kitchens, a tava or tawa is a common frying pan. Tawa Fish Fry is a delicious, flavoured shallow fried seafood meal made with a few basic spices and herbs. Even though fried fish is a simple dish, there is few tips and techniques involved. I have shared all my tips and tricks for the perfect fish fry. More Fish Recipes Anchovies FryKeralan Meen FryMeen PollichathuMeen Masala FrySardine Fry
Fish Fry Ingredients
Fish - For frying you can use any firm white fleshed fish. We love to use seer fish or paarai meen. Make sure you make deep slashes on the fish if you are frying it whole. Spices - the basic combination of spice powders are chilli , coriander, turmeric, black pepper and garam masala. Ginger & Garlic - freshly ground ginger and garlic is mainly for flavor and it helps to removes the fishy smell. Lemon - the most essential ingredient is lemon juice or vinegar. Curry Leaves - curry leaves is finely chopped and added in marination. Coconut Oil - frying fish in coconut oil adds flavor and taste . If you haven’t tried it so far, I strongly recommend you to give it a go.
Marinating Fish
Spicy Masala Marination - We prefer a spiced up marination for fish. We don’t add rice flour, gram flour or sooji in the marination. Fish is marinated with spices and pan fried in coconut oil. When you pan fry fish on high heat, it creates a caramelisation on the outside of the fish which taste amazing. Crispy Marination - If you want to get a crispy coating on your fried fish. Just add some rice flour to the marination. You can even coat the fish in sooji before frying. But I prefer this way only when I make my fish 65.
Expert Tips
Marinate fish for at least 30 minutes to overnight. Always use flat base pan for frying. Cast iron tawa or frying pan is best for frying. Make sure you use coconut oil for frying fish. Heat oil on high heat when you place the fish in oil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on high heat then flip and cook on medium heat.
How to Make Fish Fry Recipe (Stepwise Pictures)
1)Take all your ingredients for marinating fish. You need chilli powder, turmeric, coriander, garam masala powder, black pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, curry leaves, coriander leaves, lemon juice and salt. I like to use a mix of kashmiri chilli powder and regular chilli powder. kashmiri chilli powder adds colour. 2)Mix all the ingredients given for marination together. I like to use a plate or a shallow bowl for mixing the marination. 3)Add in lemon juice. Sometimes I add vinegar to the marination. It adds a tangy taste to the marination which is essential for fried fish. 4)Mix the marination together with your hands. Make sure the marination doesn’t turn too runny. You want it to be thick. 5)Now you can see the marination looks dry. You may add a splash of water in this and mix. Since this doesn’t have fish added yet, you can taste and check for seasoning. 6)Add some water or more lemon juice to your marination to adjust the consistency. 7)Now the marination masala is ready. It has to be thick like paste. 8)Take your fish pieces. Since this is a whole fish, make deep slashes on the fish. The marination will penetrate through these gashes. You can use any fish like king fish steaks, seer fish or even anchovies. 9)Apply the marination all over the fish. Apply evenly into the slashes. 10)Let the fish marinate for minimum 30 minutes to 1 hour. 11)Make sure you apply the marination inside the fish as well. 12) Once you apply the marination all over it. You can allow it to marinate for minimum 15 minutes to 1 hour. 13)I prefer to fry the fish in coconut oil. Take a shallow frying pan, like cast iron or nonstick. Place fish in hot coconut oil and fry on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. 14)Now flip the fish carefully, reduce the flame and cook on other side for 3 to 4minutes. 15)Remove the fish carefully to serving plate. Garnish with coriander leaves, lemon wedges and onion rings.
More Fish Recipes to Try
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