Fish fry and fish curry is a staple at our place. Although consuming fish is supposed to be better, we kind of go overboard. Recently a fresh seafood market opened which is at an accessible distance from our place and since then we are going fish crazy. We love this style of fish fry. It uses basic spices and one secret ingredient. Those of you who have been following my blog know that my parents belong to Kerala (a southern state of India) know for its beauty and awesome mouthwatering seafood.
Growing up I spend a month every year during my summer in kerala and every time summer would come to an end, I would hope something magical to happen so that I wouldn’t have to leave. I cherish my childhood memories spend with my cousins and relatives and I still love going there.
The time would never stop and my vacation always came to an end. Although I grew up in Maharashtra (a central state of India), my mom always made the traditional kerala dishes with which I have formed a love affair. As much as I like trying new food and Enjoy it, my heart always craves for traditional kerala style curries.
This is how I found the secret ingredients. During our last trip to kerala we rented a house boat and cruised the famous backwaters. To those of you who are new to the concept of houseboat. Its kind of an single family home with 2, 3 or 4 bedrooms with attached bath, a dining room with Tv and stuff, a kitchen and sometimes an open balcony. The difference, this single family home is on a boat and you will be cruising over the backwaters. Generally there will be two people managing the boat. One who drives and a local chef who will also be your server.
- 1 and 1/2 pound 1/2 kg(12 pieces) Fish, cut into 1/2 inch steaks (I used Tilapia)
- 3 teaspoons Chilly powder / paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons rice flour
- Oil for shallow frying I used coconut oil
- 2 sprig curry leaves Optional
- cilantro/coriander leaves for garnish
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Wash the fish and pat dry.
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Mix all the spices together (Chilly powder + turmeric + salt). Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Salt should be slightly more than what you need. Add ginger garlic paste and tablespoon of water to the spices and make it to a paste.
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Add the spice paste to the fish and marinate well. Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
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Sprinkle rice flour over the fish and coat it well.
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Add oil in a pan (preferably non-stick) for shallow frying and keep it on medium high heat. Add the curry leaves and place the fish pieces making sure its not sticking to each other. Turn the heat to medium low and let the fish cook on each side for 3-5 minutes till both the sides are crisp.
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Transfer to a paper to absorb extra oil. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaves.
Curry leaves pairs well with coconut oil and gives it a wonderful aroma and flavor. Curry leaves are available at neighborhood Indian markets. Its okay to skip if you don't have it.
Any oil with strong smell and flavor is good for frying fish, e.g: mustard oil.
Few of the other fishes which tastes good when fried this way is pomfret/pompano and swordfish.
You have three options of choosing your food. They will take you to some fresh seafood catch areas and you can pick your own seafood and they will cook it for you the way you want it, all on the boat. If you don’t want to do that, you can place order at a local shack, cruise around for sometime and then come back when the fresh food is waiting for you. The third option, which I wouldn’t recommend is pick up already made food from the local places, but you won’t know when it was made and how fresh the food is.
A houseboat parked by the banks. As rustic as the outside looks, the inside is polished and well furnished. Kerala is listed among the 10 best places to visit by discovery channel and it has become a popular honeymoon destination.
One of the bedrooms of the houseboat we stayed. You can also stay overnight. In that case, at dusk, they park the boats in a safe designated parking area, kind of like the camping grounds.
This is the passageway from the dining area to the kitchen. On the right side are the four bedrooms.
The best thing about food blogging is, all of a sudden everything revolves around food and you try to concentrate on the tiny details. My last visit on a houseboat was almost 7 years ago and till date I remember the lobster I ate during that trip. It was the best. So to figure out how they do it, I was in their kitchen. The chef was kind enough to show me the ingredients and procedure. The final coat of the rice flour is what makes it crisp and let it stay crisp longer.
Fish fry goes well with rice and a mild curry like a yogurt curry/moru curry/kadhi. This style of fish fry make a good appetizer.
More Kerala cuisine.
- 1 and 1/2 pound 1/2 kg(12 pieces) Fish, cut into 1/2 inch steaks (I used Tilapia)
- 3 teaspoons Chilly powder / paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons rice flour
- Oil for shallow frying I used coconut oil
- 2 sprig curry leaves Optional
- cilantro/coriander leaves for garnish
-
Wash the fish and pat dry.
-
Mix all the spices together (Chilly powder + turmeric + salt). Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Salt should be slightly more than what you need. Add ginger garlic paste and tablespoon of water to the spices and make it to a paste.
-
Add the spice paste to the fish and marinate well. Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
-
Sprinkle rice flour over the fish and coat it well.
-
Add oil in a pan (preferably non-stick) for shallow frying and keep it on medium high heat. Add the curry leaves and place the fish pieces making sure its not sticking to each other. Turn the heat to medium low and let the fish cook on each side for 3-5 minutes till both the sides are crisp.
-
Transfer to a paper to absorb extra oil. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaves.
Curry leaves pairs well with coconut oil and gives it a wonderful aroma and flavor. Curry leaves are available at neighborhood Indian markets. Its okay to skip if you don't have it.
Any oil with strong smell and flavor is good for frying fish, e.g: mustard oil.
Few of the other fishes which tastes good when fried this way is pomfret/pompano and swordfish.
HEY THERE! HAPPY TO SEE YOU 🙂