Recipes

Masala Fish Fry Maharashtrian Style

This fish fry recipe is a recipe that is very close to my heart. My cousin sister’s Maharashtrian Aaji (grand mom) used to marinate & fry bhangda fish this way when I used to go to their house to spend the weekends as a child. She served it with a simple varan (yellow daal) with lots of tuup (ghee) & a koshimbir (salad) & we ate this meal using our fingers. No spoons were ever given!

Ingredients

  • This Recipe Is For 4 Whole Bhangda Fish
  • Fresh Fish (Works Well with Bhangra, Surmai, Pomfret, Bombil)
  • 5 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 3 Tbsp Red Chilli Powder (Bedki Chilli)
  • 2 Tbsp Turmeric
  • 2 Tbsp Coriander Powder
  • Juice Of 2 Limes
  • Salt to Taste
  • Whole Wheat Flour or All-Purpose Flour for Coating the Fish
  • Half Cup Oil for Shallow Frying (Any Non-Flavored Oil, Sunflower Oil)

Preparation

Prep: 10 minutes
Refrigeration: 10 minutes

  1. Clean your fish thoroughly. I have used a whole bhangda fish.
  2. Make gentle cuts on both sides of the fish for a good marination & flavour.
  3. Place the fish in a plate & in a bowl mix all the ingredients (ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt &lime juice) to form a thick paste.
  4. Use for fingers & coat the fish with this paste. Coat all parts of the fish thoroughly & cover the plate with the marinated fish & keep in the fridge for min 1 hour (maximum overnight for excellent flavor).
  5. In a fresh clean dry plate, spread enough wholewheat flour to coat the marinated fish on both sides. You could use a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour with a little bit of fine-grained semolina if you like.
  6. Heat a shallow pan with non-flavoured oil (I used sun flower oil). The oil should be piping hot when you are going to place your fish in the oil. Hot oil gives that crispy skin to the fish. Do not over crowd the pan by putting all the fish at once. I prefer frying 2 fish at a time.
  7. Fry the fish on both sides evenly for 7-8 mins approx. (this totally depends on the size of your fish).
  8. Squeeze a little fresh lime juice on the fish before serving. Your fish is ready to be served.
  9. Pair it with a classic tomato, onion, cucumber, capsicum, green chillies, fresh coriander & lime juice koshimbir(salad) & a wedge of lime & a simple fresh coriander, lime juice, salt, green chilly chutney, Or Enjoy hot with Maharashtrian style varan daal with lots of tuup(ghee) & bhaat(rice)
  10. TIP: You can do this same marinade with prawns too.

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Kanika Dave

Born in Bombay to a beautiful Punjabi mother and a half-Gujarati-half-Mangalorean handsome father, I am a complete mix of both cultures by heart. My Nutritionist-dietician-weight trainer mother will always be my biggest food inspiration. Observing her since childhood and shadowing her every move in the kitchen, watching her chop, taking in the aromas and feeing the love with which she cooked has always been a treat. How she makes everyday simple food taste so delicious will always be a mystery to me. A special mention to my dear friend Oskari whom I met 11 years ago in Goa and fell in love instantly. He is European and came from a contrasting food background. Watching him move around swiftly in the kitchen has always been my favourite thing. I have been lucky to spend quality time with his mother Hanni who is a wonderful cook and runs one of the most beautiful resorts in Zanzibar. Through them, I learned a lot about world food.