Tips and Tricks to Crispy Fried Whole Fish, Bengali Style

Are you intimidated by the thought of cooking a whole fish? Please don’t be. Whole fish is one of the most sensational and delicious ways of cooking fish at home. There’s more meat off of each fish, and less waste. It’s so much fun to tear into a whole fish at the table. There’s something primal about it. Cooking a whole fish is also a dramatic way to serve your family, friends and guests while enjoying the “oohs” and “aahs” from them.

In the past, I shared how to cook a Whole Tilapia – two ways, on the stovetop and in the oven. It’s time I share another easy and delightful way to cook a whole fish by frying it till crispy. For this recipe, I chose a Pomfret a.k.a Pompano a.k.a Rupchanda fish (রূপচাঁদা মাছ) as it is a very welcomed fish among the people of Bangladesh. Pomfret has more meat and fewer bones. It is rich in protein, unsaturated fatty acids and multi-micro elements. If you can’t find a pomfrert, feel free to substitute a sea bass, red snapper, flounder, or a small grouper for this Bengali style crispy fried fish recipe.

My brother and sister-in-law was in town for a week and they left on Monday. After I served this fish for lunch over the weekend, there was request for making another one before they left. That’s how good this fried whole fish is.

Bengali style fried fish is crispy on the outside, head, tail, fins and all, but not greasy yet still moist with the juices inside the flesh. The trick to Bengali style fish fry is to fry the fish unskinned in hot oil for longer than what is normally recommended in western cooking. As the moisture from the skin dries out in the heat, oil molecules do not have any place to attach themselves on the dried-out surface resulting a crispy fried fish that is not heavy, soggy or oily. Frying Pomfret this way remains crunchy even after the fish cools. Another tip for preparing a whole Pomfret for frying is to make cuts into the fish body so the fish cooks faster and you can easily pick the flesh off when eating. Also, don’t overload your pan. Allow plenty of real estate to not crowd your fish. When cooked in medium heat to achieve the crispiest results, the side bones turn so crispy that you can eat them like chips – definitely a good source of calcium.

Fried Pomfret is an excellent dinner dish. A whole fried Pomfret makes for a primal, deeply satisfying meal and an impressive display on the table. The deliciously crispy result that this whole Pomfret fry produces is worth the try. Are you intrigued to try?

Masala Fried Pomfret, Bengali Style

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Lail Hossain

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Bangladeshi

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Pomfret fish
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Oil, for frying
• Cilantro and lemon wedges for garnish

Instructions

1. Ask your fishmonger to gut, trim, and scale the fish. No reason to complicate your life with those tasks. Once you get the fish home, clean the it thoroughly, specially the inner cavity. Trim the fins and tail if desired. Rub some salt and turmeric powder on the fish. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
2. Wash off the salt and turmeric. This step should eliminate any foul smell that the fish may have.
3. Score a diagonal criss-cross pattern across the fish body on both sides.
4. Mix the spices and rub the spice paste generously on to the inner cavities and outside of the whole pomfret.
5. Heat oil on medium heat in a flat-bottomed non-stick pan. The oil should come up to the side of the fish. Heat the oil until it is smoking hot.
6. Add the Pomfret and turn the heat to medium.
7. Fry the fish for about 8-10 minutes on each side. To turn the fish, slowly scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the fish. If the fish is ready, it should be very easy to loosen the fish. While frying, occasionally tilt the pan from side to side, so that the head and tail get submerged and crisped along with the mid-section of the fish.
8. Serve the fried whole Pomfret with cilantro and lemon wedges.

Notes

Watch out for the oil splatter. Hold the fish by the tail and gently slide it into the oil. Letting go the whole fish along the side of the pan as close to its surface as possible will produce least amount of oil splash - letting go too soon is more likely to hurt you.
The trick to crispy pomfret is medium heat. This may take a while, but the result is well worthwhile.
Adjust chili and other spices according to taste.
The frying time may differ slightly depending on the size of the fish.
Don’t overload your pan. Allow plenty of room so that the fish is not crowded in the frying pan.
Clean the oil splatters off your stove as soon as possible. Heat dries the oil into varnish which becomes more difficult to remove with each passing hour.

3.4.3177

রেসিপিঃ রূপচাঁদা মাছ ভাজি / ফ্রাইড পমফ্রেট
উপকরনঃ
পমফ্রেট/ রূপচাঁদা মাছ
১ চা চামচ হলুদ
১/২ চা চামচ শুকনা মরিচ গুঁড়া
১ চা চামচ রসুন বাটা
১/২ চা চামচ জিরা গুঁড়া
লবন, স্বাদ অনুযায়ী
তেল, ভাজার জন্য
পরিবেশনের জন্য লেবু ও ধনে পাতা

প্রস্তুত প্রণালীঃ
১. মাছ ভালো করে ধুয়ে নিন, বিশেষ করে মাছের ভিতরের অংশ ভালভাবে পরিষ্কার করে ধুয়ে নিন। লবন এবং হলুদ দিয়ে মাছটি ৫ থেকে ১০ মিনিট রেখে দিন।
২. লবন ও হলুদ দিয়ে মাখা মাছটি আবার ধুয়ে নিন। এতে মাছের আঁশটে গন্ধ দূর হয়ে যায়।
৩. মাছের উভয় পাশ একটি চাকু দিয়ে একটু চিরে নিন।
৪. সমস্ত মসলা একসাথে মিশিয়ে মাছের ভিতর এবং বাইরের অংশে ভাল করে মাখিয়ে নিন।
৫. ফ্ল্যাট ননস্টিক প্যানে তেল খুব ভালভাবে গরম করুন। তেল এমনভাবে দিন যেন মাছটির অর্ধেক তেলে ডুবতে পারে।
৬. মাছটি আস্তে গরম তেলে দিয়ে চুলার আঁচ মিডিয়াম করে দিন।
৭. মাছটির প্রতিটি পাশ প্রায় ৮ থেকে ১০ মিনিট কড়া করে ভেজে নিন। প্যানের তলা হতে আস্তে নেড়ে মাছটি আলগা করে আস্তে উল্টিয়ে দিন। মাছ কাঁচা অবস্থায় না উল্টিয়ে, পুরপুরি ভাজা হওয়ার পর উল্টিয়ে নিলে, আলগা করতে সুবিধা হয় এবং মাছ ভেঙ্গে যায় না।
৮. ধনে পাতা এবং লেবুর ফালি দিয়ে পরিবেশন করুন।

প্রয়োজনিও কিছু টিপস্ এর জন্যে দয়াকরে আটির্কেল অথবা ইংরেজি রেসিপির নোট সেকশনটা একটু দেখে নেবেন।