Masala Fried Pomfret, Bengali Style
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
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
- 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.
- Wash off the salt and turmeric. This step should eliminate any foul smell that the fish may have.
- Score a diagonal criss-cross pattern across the fish body on both sides.
- Mix the spices and rub the spice paste generously on to the inner cavities and outside of the whole pomfret.
- 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.
- Add the Pomfret and turn the heat to medium.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Recipe by WithASpin at https://withaspin.com/2014/12/18/fried-whole-fish/