Kerala Masala Fish Fry - South Indian style , Crispy and Spicy fish fry from the coast of India.

Kerala fish fry peices garnished with fried curry leaves on a beige platter, along with pieces of lime and sliced onions.

Why this recipe works

1. The masala or spices will stick to the fish and create a crispy coating.
2. It's pretty easy to make, with readily available pantry ingredients

For every dinner, lunch, and sometimes breakfast, fish fry is served at my in-law's house. Sometimes two kinds, along with a prawn curry and a chicken curry.Served with softly cooked rice, dal or sambhar, and pappadam- the Kerala papad.

Suffice it to say I got quite a training in making and eating fish fry with every meal. Though I have been making this for over a decade, it has taken me this long to record and publish this dish because it's taken so long to perfect it.

I have been nagging all the moms, grannies, and uncles who make fish fry. I have had conversations with so many Malalyali chefs about this.Fish fry is also called meen varuthathu in kerala.

Ingredients for Kerala Fish Fry

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this delicious recipe

Ingredients needed to make kerala fish fry- fish fillet, salt, ginger garlic paste, ground coriander, curry leaves, ground chili, lime, turmeric, flour and coconut oil

Fish fillets- I have used kingfish, which is very popular in India. You can use other regional fish to make this, too. Whole fish like mackerel and pomfret will work too but they will need to be scored before marinating. You can also cook shrimp in the same masala.
Rice Flour- flour is the secret to your masala sticking to the fish. You can use all-purpose flour (maida) or corn flour, too.
Ground Chili Powder- The fish fry appears almost red because of Kashmiri chili powder. Any other kinds of chili powder will make the fish too spicy. If that's your jam, then go for it.
Turmeric - This is used more for purifying the fish than for taste.
Ground Coriander Seeds - This is a staple in Indian cuisine. I usually buy seeds and grind them into a coarse powder.
Oil for frying - Traditionally, coconut oil is used to fry fish. You can use any neutral oil instead.
Curry leaves
Lemon - You can use vinegar or tamarind pulp here too.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to masala fish fry

Step 1: Make the Marinade

Chop the curry leaves finely.

Mix everything except the fish and oil together. Add one tablespoon of water to make it into a thick paste.

MAsala paste ingredients in a beige bowl- flour, coriander, chopped curry leaves, ground chili and ginger garlic paste.

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Masala paste in a beige bowl to make masala fish fry

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Step 2: Marinate the fish

Using gentle hands, coat the fish with masala paste.

Let it marinate for 15 -20 minutes at least. The more time the fish marinates in the masala, the better it will taste. I recommend marinating the fish for 12 hours in the refrigerator for the best results.

If I am meal prepping, I wrap each fish piece in plastic wrap and freeze it.I take out one at a time and fry with my dinners.

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Masala fish fry being shallow fried in a black cast iron pan.

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Step 3: Fry the fish

I only shallow fry the fish. You can use a nonstick or a well-seasoned cast iron pan to fry the fish.

Heat the pan first. Add oil and let it heat through. This is important. Otherwise, the fish will stick to the bottom of the pan.

If needed, slather the marinade on the fish again. Place the fish gently in the oil.

Cook until the fish leaves the pan and turns brown. This takes a bit of practice, and I find that a thin spatula or a turner works to see the color of the fish. Repeat for the rest of the fish.

A platter of masala fish fry with curry leaves, onions and lime wedges.

Hot Tip for perfect fish fry

In the leftover oil, fry curry leaves and sliced shallots till crispy and then top the fried fish with it.

Variations

You could give this recipe so many different delicious twists-

Spicy Green fish fry- Instead of red chilly powder, grind one green chili with fresh coriander leaves. Proceed with the recipe as it is.
Rawa fry-Skip the rice flour and marinate the fish with the rest of the ingredients. Before frying the fish, gently press semolina (rawa) into it. Fry as per the recipe instructions.

Storage

If you are not eating the fried fish in a couple of hours, leftover fish can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Freezer- Instead of storing cooked fish, I usually freeze individual pieces marinated fish. Just thaw and fry as per the instructions.

Reheat- To reheat cold fish fry, you can either microwave it or heat it in a pan.

Serving Masala Fish fry

In India, Fish fry is served as a side dish or an appetizer.

Low Carb Meal - I usually serve this with my house vegetable soup and green coriander chutney as a healthy dinner.
Everyday Indian Meal- Serve this with soft rice and dal.Maybe a stir-fried vegetable or potatoes. or serve with curd rice.
South Indian feast- The way my mother-in-law serves it- Kerala style chicken curry, soft rice, potato fry, pappadam, stir-fried ladies finger. Sometimes a chicken 65 or a kerala style roast chicken is also added.

These are my favorite dishes to serve with :

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Kerala masala fish fry

3.67 from 3 votes

Servings:

Calories: 352kcal

Author: Chhavi

Ingredients

▢ ½ kg King fish fillet
▢ ¼ cup Coconut oil

Marinade

▢ 2 tablespoon Rice flour
▢ 1 tablespoon Ground Coriander seeds
▢ 1 tablespoon Red Kashmiri chili powder
▢ 2 tablespoon Ginger Garlic paste
▢ 20 Curry leaves divided
▢ 1 Lime
▢ ½ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Chop the half the curry leaves finely.
In a large bowl, mix toghether the marinade ingredients - chopped curry leaves, turmeric, ground chili, ground coriander seeds, salt, lime and ginger garlic paste.
Add 1 -2 tablespoon water to make it into a thick paste.Taste and adjust the salt, chili and lime if needed.
Add the cleaned fish to the marinade.Gently apply the marinate to both sides of the fish.
Marinate for 15 minutes minimum.It's best to marinate for 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Heat a cast iron or non stick pan.Once hot, add the oil and let it heat through.
On low heat, gently place the fish and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Flip using a broad spatula or fish turner.Cook the other side.
Repeat with rest of the fish.Add more oil if needed.
In the leftover hot oil, add the rest of the curry leaves.Fry till they turn crispy amd top tje fish fry with it.

Notes

Substitutes

Fish- You can use any fish using the same recipe. Larger, thicker fish fillets take more time to cook. You can also use cuttlefish or shrimp, too. For a vegetarian option use raw banana slices or eggplant.

Coriander powder - You can use garam masala or cumin masala too.

Ground Chili- This recipe is medium spicy, and we use Kashmiri chili powder. You can choose to use a spicier chili powder as per your taste.

Ginger Garlic paste- Use storebought or homemade.

Curry leaves- You can skip them if you can't find curry leaves. Dry curry leaves or curry leaves powder are good substitutes, too.

Lime Juice - Replace with lemon juice or vinegar

Oil - Traditionally coconut oil is used but you can use groundnut oil too.

Nutrition

Kerala Masala Fish Fry

Why this recipe works

Ingredients for Kerala Fish Fry