Fried Fish Ajwaini or Ajwain fried fish
Also known as Amritsari Fried Fish, Indian fried fish, Amritsari Fish, Fish Fry, Punjabi Fish Pakora
Amritsari Fried Fish Ajwaini or Ajwain fried fish, a marvellous creation to spice up your day. The relishing flavours, the appealing texture and the amazing aroma of such a fried fish are just mouth-watering.
If you are looking for an easy fried fish recipe? Try this recipe with photos and step by step guide.
Tender, boneless pieces of fish marinated with certain spices pan-fried or grilled to perfection. This is a perfect crispy fried fish recipe for you.
The inspiration for this version of crispy fried fish ajwaini comes right from Amritsar. Amritsari fish is made with Carom seeds or ajwain batter. Amritsar’s fried fish with ajwain is very famous street food.
You can find Amritsari fried fish at many local food stalls and in restaurants of Amritsar.
It’s a lightly battered fish with Indian spices like ajwain & red chilli, ginger+garlic paste and besan (gram flour or chickpea flour).
In this recipe, I have replaced besan with Britannia NutriChoice crackers as you’ll find out.
The Crunchy First Bite of Fried Fish in Winters
Fried Fish Ajwaini and that too in winters – that time of the year that I call my favourite one.
The crunchy first bite of a fried fish is the most blissful feeling for a seafood lover. Delicious Fried Fish Ajwaini and that too in winters – that time of the year that I call my favourite.
It is winters that make me really binge on fish. On this particular day, I was in a mood for something fishy and something tangy. Fish Fry is my go to comfort meal for fish! Tasty, moist, crunchy fried fish is unbeatable!
While shopping at newly christened Auchan (pronounced O-Shaan) my mind drifted towards the seer (fish) or surmai as we popularly know it.
I was disappointed on its non-availability, however I settled for half a kilogram of catfish or Singara as it is called in our local parlance. I was mentally structuring on the go about what I was going to do driving back home.
Since I wanted something tangy, vinegar crossed my mind, since I wanted something spicy, Indian marinade sauntered in and since I wanted something crispy I thought of doing a coating of breadcrumbs and a double fry.
Then, I remembered that I had ajwain (carom seeds also known as Bishop’s weed) lying at home which I had not used much lately and featured that into the marinade too.
The end results were absolutely fantastic and scrumptious. This fried fish is a marvellous creation to spice up your day.
The relishing flavours, the appealing texture and the amazing aroma from this fried fish recipe are just mouth-watering.
Tender, boneless pieces of fish marinated with certain spices pan-fried or grilled to perfection. The spicy and pungent flavour infused by Ajwain (Carom Seeds) gives an extra kick to this dish.
I eventually served my sizzling hot fried fish with green chutney as an appetiser or side dish.
What kind of fish for fried fish?
What are the best types of fish for deep frying?
With so many kinds of fish available, what makes the best fish to fry?
The preferred ones are – tilapia, pollock, catfish, bass, trout, haddock, cod or perch yield a beautiful fried fish.
Generally, if the fish flesh is white, its a good indicator that it’ll makes a good fish for pan frying.
In Indian terms, India has rich geographical diversity and that’s what makes this question all the more fun to answer. From sea water fish to river water there’s plenty to look out for to make a fried fish.
Rohu is a fresh water fish that is usually shallow fried. Similarly, Mackerel or Bangda is also an amazing fish to fry.
Hilsa deserves a mention here that is valued for its rich and long lasting taste. You can also fry fish like Mandheli, Rawas, Surmai, Singara, Bhetki, Pabda, Tilapia and Pearl Spot for this.
Why is this Amritsari fish recipe so popular?
Why do people enjoy making fried fish so much?
- It’s good for making a succulent and juicy fish.
- You don’t need to marinate fish for long or prepare much ahead of time for it.
- No fancy ingredients are needed, so you don’t need to plan a grocery shopping trip for it.
- Frying the fish will cook it quickly, though it’ll depend on the thickness of the fillet too.
- Better still, you can fry a whole fish not just a fillet.
- The contrast in texture between the crunch coating and the tender succulent fish is unbeatable.
- Fish fry comes together in under 30 minutes with sides and everything!
- You can perk up your spices and make fried fish with myriad flavours every time.
- Any and almost every type of fish works with frying.
Care to be Taken for Making Amritsari Fried Fish Ajwaini
Preparation Suggestions for Making Indian Fried Fish or Amritsari Fried Fish
- Please ensure that the fish is totally dry before marinating, else the breadcrumbs will not coat at all.
- Ensure you let the marinade seep into the fish from both sides.
- Use a heavy based skillet – it doesn’t need to be non stick, but it needs to be a heavy pan. A heavy pan heats better, and more evenly, which really helps to get an even, golden & crispy crust.
- Turn the fish only when the fish is cooked on one side.
- Cook on medium flame once the oil is hot.
- Be patient. One side of the fish will take about 4 minutes to turn golden.
Recipe Card: Fried Fish Ajwaini or Amritsari Fried Fish
Make Fried Fish Ajwaini or Amritsari Fried Fish at Home
Fried Fish - Fried Fish Ajwaini, Amritsari Fried Fish or Amritsari fish recipe
Ingredients
- 300 gram Singara Fresh catfish
- 60 ml Malt Vinegar
- 0.5 tablespoon Salt Sprinkle to coat
- 2.5 tablespoons Ginger Garlic Paste Fresh or packaged
- 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
- 0.5 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Carom or Aswan Dried & roasted
- 1 teaspoon Dry Mango powder or Amchur I used Everest brand
- 1 piece Fresh Lemon Slices For sprinkling
- 0.5 teaspoon Salt To taste
- 4 piece Britannia NutriChoice Crackers Pulse to crumbs
Instructions
- Get your ingredients ready. Clean up & dry the Singara fish properly
- Marinate fish in salt and malt vinegar for twenty minutes. Ten minutes to each side.
- Prepare a second marinade with the rest of the ingredients given above and coat the fish nicely.
- Refrigerate for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from refrigerator and let it rest for about 5 minutes
- Coat with crumbs and partially fry once and let it rest. You are looking for a light golden colour here.
- When you are ready to eat, double fry the fish in a heavy skillet.
- Serve immediately with lemon slices, onion rings and homemade coriander-mint chutney.
Notes
- Sperata seenghala, the Giant river catfish, is a species of bagrid catfish. In India, it is locally known as Singhara.
- Please ensure that the fish is totally dry before marinating, else the breadcrumbs will not coat at all.
- Ensure you let the marinade seep into the fish from both sides.
- Use a thick-bottomed or heavy skillet for frying.
- Turn the fish only when the fish is cooked on one side.
- Cook on medium flame once the oil is hot. On a higher flame, it'll burn.
- Be patient. One side of the fish will take about 4 minutes to cook and turn golden.
Step by Step Pictures for this Recipe
FINALLY, TO SUM IT UP
A marvellous creation to spice up your winter day.
Fried fish ajwaini
This Amritsari fried fish ajwaini recipe or ajwain fried fish, is a marvellous creation to spice up your winter day.
The tender, boneless pieces of fish marinated with certain spices pan-fried or grilled to perfection, offer relishing flavours, the appealing texture and the amazing aroma.
This fried fish is just mouth-watering and perfect for a main meal or a winter evening snack.
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