Snacks & street food · Kerala

Malabar Tawa Fish

Kerala fish rubbed with a shallot, pepper and Kashmiri chilli masala and slow-fried on a hot tawa in coconut oil, finished under a heap of crisp curry leaves.

Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min · Total 30 min + 30 min marinade · Serves 3

Ingredients

Masala

• 8 Shallots (small onions), peeled
• 1 inch Ginger
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• ½ tsp Hot red chilli powder
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Black pepper, freshly crushed
• ¼ tsp Fennel powder
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice or vinegar
• 1 tbsp Coconut oil

Fish

• 500 g Firm fish (seer/neymeen, pomfret or mackerel), steaks or whole slashed

To fry

• 4 tbsp Coconut oil
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves
• 4 Shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 Green chillies, slit
• Lemon wedges, to taste

Method

1. Grind the masala. Grind the shallots, ginger, garlic and curry leaves to a coarse paste without water. Mix in the chilli powders, turmeric, pepper, fennel, salt, lemon juice and coconut oil.
2. Marinate. Pat the fish dry and make a few slashes in each piece. Coat thickly with the masala on all sides and leave for 30 minutes.
3. Fry on the tawa. Heat the coconut oil on a tawa or heavy frying pan over medium heat. Lay in the fish and fry for 4 to 5 minutes a side, turning once, until the masala is deep red, crisp and fragrant.
4. Crisp the topping. Push the fish to one side. Fry the sliced shallots, curry leaves and green chillies in the oil on the tawa until the shallots are golden, spooning a little of the oil over the fish as they cook.
5. Serve. Pile the crisp shallots and curry leaves over the fish and serve straight from the tawa with lemon wedges, Kerala matta rice or appam.

Tips

Coconut oil is what makes this Malabar, not just any fish fry. Keep the heat at medium so the shallot masala caramelises without burning before the fish is cooked through.