Masala fish fry is an absolute must try if you are a fish lover!

Flavorful, spicy, tangy and absolutely delicious; it is an easy to make dish in which fish fillets are coated with spicy masala and then fried until crisp. A favourite party snack, masala fish fry also a perfect comfort food for cold rainy days. It keeps you warm in the inside while satiating your craving for something filling and yummy. Try it right away.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

• ½ kg fish fillets
• Oil for frying (preferably mustard oil)
• A handful of curry leaves

For First Marination:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Dabur Hommade Ginger Garlic Paste
• ¾ teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
• Salt as required
• ½ tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 3-4 teaspoons water

For Second Marination:

• 1 ½ tablespoon rice flour
• 1 ½ tablespoon besan (gram flour)
• ¼ – ½ tsp red chili powder or paprika (adjust according to your taste)
• ½ tsp saunf
• ½ tsp ajwain
• ¼ tsp kasuri methi or 1 sprig curry leaves chopped finely

For Garnish:

• Lemon wedges
• Finely chopped coriander

Method:

• To prepare the first step of fish marination, put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix them and make a thick paste
• Add salt in the end as per taste
• Keep it aside and start preparing for the second round of marination
• Take the fish and wash it properly, pat dry it with the help of a kitchen towel and make slits
• Take the first masala marination, that was kept aside, and massage it all over the fish making sure. Also, apply the paste on the insides of the fish, through the slits, so that the fish gets properly coated
• Now move on to prepare the second part of the marination
• Add besan (gram flour) to a bowl along with other ingredients and make a fine paste
• Make sure the consistency is just about right to coat the marinated fish with
• Dip the marinated fish in the mix making sure both the sides of the fish are well coated with the paste
• Keep it aside till the flour turns moist. The moisture in the fish makes the flour damp and it sticks well to the fish. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes

To Fry the Fish:

• In a pan add mustard oil and leave it to heat on medium flame
• Once the oil has heated, put the coated fish in it and leave it to cook for about 2 minutes or till the time it has turned golden brown
• Flip the fish gently to avoid the masala from coming out and leave it to cook on the other side as well
• Once the fish becomes crispy on both the sides, take it out of the pan and allow it to rest on a kitchen towel for few seconds. It will enable the towel to soak any excess oil
• Transfer the cooked fish to a serving platter
• Serve it hot

For Garnish:

• Serve with sliced lemon wedges, onion rings and spicy green chutney

Option for Weight Watchers:

• Just in case you want to avoid the calories that comes with frying the fish in oil, you can opt to grill the fish in the oven
• The marination and preparation process remains the same
• Instead of frying the fish in oil, you can instead put it in a pre-heated oven/griller and bake for 20 minutes at 170 C