Make the perfect tawa fish fry with marination, semolina coating, and proper pan heat.
1 Answer
The secret to a crispy 'Tawa Fish Fry' is to use fresh fish, a well-balanced spice paste, an optional light coating, and to pan-fry it on a hot tawa with enough oil until it's golden and crisp.
Detailed Explanation:
'Tawa Fish Fry' is all about getting a perfectly shallow-fried, crispy fish, often cooked on a flat griddle (tawa). Here’s how to master it:
- Choose Your Fish: Start with really fresh, firm white fish fillets or steak cuts (like kingfish, pomfret, or mackerel). After washing, pat them super dry.
- Masala Magic: Prepare a thick, flavorful marinade or spice paste. This usually includes ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, lemon juice, and salt. Make sure the paste isn't too runny. Apply this paste evenly to all sides of the fish and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, or even better, pop it in the fridge overnight.
- Optional Coating: For extra crispiness, you can lightly dredge the marinated fish in rice flour or fine semolina (rava) just before frying. This creates a wonderful, protective crispy layer.
- Heat the Tawa: Get a heavy-bottomed tawa or a flat frying pan nice and hot over medium-high heat. Add enough oil (coconut oil or any neutral cooking oil works great) to create a thin layer that covers the bottom, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep.
- Fry It Up: Once the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully place the fish in a single layer. Don't overcrowd the tawa! Fry for 4-7 minutes per side, depending on how thick your fish is, until it's beautifully golden-brown, crispy, and cooked all the way through. Only flip it once.
- Drain: When done, remove the fried fish and place it on a wire rack to drain any excess oil, which helps keep it nice and crispy.
Pro Tip:
To ensure your fish cooks evenly and gets as crispy as possible, try not to flip it too often! Let one side cook completely and develop a deep crust before you turn it over.