Chettinad Fish Fry
Spicy Chettinad fish fry is delicious seer fish marinated in Chettinad spice paste. Fish is coated with spiced masala paste and is then shallow fried.
Servings 4 People
Ingredients
- 4 steaks of seer fish finely sliced
For the Chettinad Masala:
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 1 to mato chopped
- 1 big marble sized ball of tamarind soaked in 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 8 garlic pods chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger- garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon oil
For frying the fish:
- 5 tablespoon oil
- For garnish:
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Wash the seer fish and keep it aside.
- Heat a tadka pan and dry roast curry leaves, garlic and spices till nice aroma is released.
- After the spices cool down, using a mortar and pestle grind these spices by adding 2 teaspoon oil. I tried grinding it in mixer but since the spice quantity was very less the spices did not grind well.
- Now add tomato, tamarind along with the water in which it was soaked, the ground spices, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt to a mixer.
- Grind it into a thick paste. The paste will be dark brown in colour.
- Check salt and add more if needed and mix well.
- Smear each seer fish steak with this spicy paste on both sides. Be generous while smearing the paste. Let it be thick.
- Marinate this for at least 20 minutes.
Let us fry the fish in Chettinad style:
- Heat a non-stick pan. Spread oil.
- When oil gets heated shallow fry the marinated fish.
- After 5 minutes, carefully flip the fish to the other side.
- Continue to fry till the fish gets cooked.
- The fish will appear flaky when it’s cooked.
- Garnish with lime juice and serve hot.