Fish fry is made from fish fillet marinated with fresh lime juice, ginger, garlic, onion and other ingredients. It is then coated with spicy breadcrumbs and egg dip before frying in hot cooking oil to golden brown. The steps to make fish fry at home are quite simple as entailed in my recipe.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Fish fry is an easy-to-make snack item.
- Enjoy them with a refreshing salad, tangy mustard, fresh lemon wedges, a classic tomato sauce, tangy and sweet ketchup, and sweet chili sauce.
- Fish fry tastes crispy, savory, tangy, and slightly spicy.
- Try alternative dishes such as fish finger, fish cutlet, fish pocket, fish samosa, fish batter fry, fish nuggets, and fish kabiraji.
The Ingredients:
- 10 pieces fish (Bhetki fillet)
To marinate the fish:
- ½ tsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
- Table salt – To taste
- 1 piece onion (medium size, cut roughly)
- 1 piece ginger (2-inch size, cut in small pieces)
- 10 cloves garlic (deskinned)
- 5 pieces green chilies
- ½ cup mint (pudina) leaves
- ½ cup coriander leaves
- 2 pieces eggs
- 2 tbsp refined wheat flour (maida)
To coat the fish fillets:
- Bread crumbs – An adequate amount
- Salt – As required (¼ tsp for the eggs and ½ tsp for bread crumbs)
- Black pepper powder – As required (¼ tsp for the eggs and ½ tsp for bread crumbs)
To deep fry:
- Cooking oil – An Adequate amount
To garnish the fish fries:
- Black salt – A pinch
To serve the fish fries:
- Fresh salad – A little bit
- Mustard sauce – A little bit
I first had this during a trek in Gangtok, at a homestay run by an old couple. The air was cold, the kitchen warmer than anything I’d known. They served it without preamble. It was smoky, rich, oddly silent in its flavors. The next morning I was watching from the verandah—grandmother was cooking the same dish again.
No measuring, no hurry—just the wood fire, the earthen pot and the rhythm of her hands. When I returned home and decided to cook it myself for the first time, I realized—the magic of the taste was not in any recipe, but in that calm patience. Now that dish is no less than a festival for me—I cook it only on those days when my mind is completely free and time stops in the kitchen.
How to Make Fish Fry? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Take 10 pieces of Bhetki fish fillets on a plate. Squeeze half a lemon and add regular table salt according to taste. Mix and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Take 1 piece of medium-size roughly cut onion, 1 piece of 2-inch size ginger (cut in small pieces), 10 cloves of deskinned garlic, 5 pieces of fresh green chilies, ½ cup of fresh mint (pudina) leaves, and ½ cup of fresh coriander leaves in a mixer grinder. Make a paste.
Step 3: Mix the paste with the marinated fish fillets.
Step 4: Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 40 to 45 minutes. Do not put it in the freezer.
Step 5: After 40 minutes, take two eggs and whip them.
Step 6: Mix 3 tbsp of the egg mixture with the marinated fish pieces.
Step 7: Add 2 tbsp of refined wheat flour (maida) to it. Mix well.
Step 8: Now take a sufficient amount of bread crumbs in a tray. Add ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper powder to it. Mix.
Step 9: Also add ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of black pepper powder to the egg mixture. Mix.
Step 10: Put 1 fillet in bread crumbs. Coat nicely.
Step 11: Then put it in egg mixture. Coat nicely.
(Pro tip: You may repeat steps 10 and 11 for double-coating the fish fillets).
Step 12: Put it on your countertop. Give it the right rectangular shape using a scraper.
Step 13: Repeat steps 10 to 12 for all pieces. Keep them on a plate aside for 5 minutes to set.
Step 14: Now, heat a sufficient amount of refined oil in a kadai. Put each piece one by one very carefully.
Step 15: Flip after a minute.
Step 16: Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on a medium flame. Take them out when golden brown. Fry all the pieces in the same way.
Step 17: Your tasty and spicy homemade fish fries are ready. Sprinkle a bit of black salt on top and serve them hot with salad and mustard sauce.
Recipe Card
Fish Fry
Ingredients
- 10 pieces fish Bhetki fillet
To marinate the fish:
- ½ tsp lemon juice half a lemon
- Table salt To taste
- 1 piece onion medium size, cut roughly
- 1 piece ginger 2-inch size, cut in small pieces
- 10 cloves garlic deskinned
- 5 pieces green chilies
- ½ cup mint pudina leaves
- ½ cup coriander leaves
- 2 pieces eggs
- 2 tbsp refined wheat flour maida
To coat the fish fillets:
- Bread crumbs An adequate amount
- Salt ¼ tsp for the eggs and ½ tsp for bread crumbs
- Black pepper powder ¼ tsp for the eggs and ½ tsp for bread crumbs
To deep fry:
- Cooking oil An Adequate amount
To garnish the fish fries:
- Black salt A pinch
To serve the fish fries:
- Fresh salad A little bit
- Mustard sauce A little bit
Instructions
- Take 10 pieces of Bhetki fish fillets on a plate. Squeeze half a lemon and add regular table salt according to taste. Mix and keep aside for 20 minutes.
- Take 1 piece of medium-size roughly cut onion, 1 piece of 2-inch size ginger (cut in small pieces), 10 cloves of deskinned garlic, 5 pieces of fresh green chilies, ½ cup of fresh mint (pudina) leaves, and ½ cup of fresh coriander leaves in a mixer grinder. Make a paste.
- Mix the paste with the marinated fish fillets.
- Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 40 to 45 minutes. Do not put it in the freezer.
- After 40 minutes, take two eggs and whip them.
- Mix 3 tbsp of the egg mixture with the marinated fish pieces.
- Add 2 tbsp of refined wheat flour (maida) to it. Mix well.
- Now take a sufficient amount of bread crumbs in a tray. Add ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper powder to it. Mix.
- Also add ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of black pepper powder to the egg mixture. Mix.
- Put 1 fillet in bread crumbs. Coat nicely.
- Then put it in egg mixture. Coat nicely. (Pro tip: You may repeat steps 10 and 11 for double-coating the fish fillets).
- Put it on your countertop. Give it the right rectangular shape using a scraper.
- Repeat steps 10 to 12 for all pieces. Keep them on a plate aside for 5 minutes to set.
- Now, heat a sufficient amount of refined oil in a kadai. Put each piece one by one very carefully.
- Flip after a minute.
- Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on a medium flame. Take them out when golden brown. Fry all the pieces in the same way.
- Your tasty and spicy homemade fish fries are ready. Sprinkle a bit of black salt on top and serve them hot with salad and mustard sauce.
