Vavval meen varuval / Pomfret fish fry is a spicy, shallow fried dish made with Vavval meen / Pomfret fish that has been marinated with a combination of aromatic spice powders and flavorful ingredients. Pomfret is commonly called as Butterfish or Pompano and is widely found in South Asia. It is rich in protein and omega 3 fatty acids and tastes delicious.

Fish is commonly cooked in my mother’s place and mother-in-law’s place. Fish kuzhambu and fry is a default dish during any weekends. Husband is very fond of fish. I came up with this particular masala for fish fry one day and was amazed by the flavor of it. From then on I make this masala for marinating the fish.

The highlight is the addition of finely chopped curry leaves. It elevates the flavor of the fish. Adding curry leaves is inspired from my younger brother. He once made chicken using a similar marinade and we all loved it. I like my fish fry with lots of masala, whereas husband likes it moderate. For kids I make a less spicy version.

This masala paste is an all purpose marinade! Super easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious! We can double this spice paste recipe and store it in the refrigerator and use it in marinating many veggies and chicken / prawns.

We buy varieties of fish at home. For this fish fry, I’ve used “Vavval Meen / Pomfret Fish”. I use the full fish for this recipe. I make few cuts on the fish, marinate it and then shallow fry it.

You can marinate it overnight. This saves time and also helps the fish absorb all the spices. Lets get cooking!

Ingredients

• Vavval Meen / Pomfret Fish – 350 g / 2 whole fishes
• Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Red Chilli Powder – 1.5 tbsp
• Jeera powder – 1.5 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala – 1/2 tbsp
• Curry leaves – 3 sprigs (Finely chopped)
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Salt – 1.5 tsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Water – 2.5 tbsp

Procedure

• Clean the fish well using some 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp yogurt.
• Make 2 slits on the sides of the fish.
• In a wide bowl, take all the ingredients except oil, lemon juice and curry leaves.
• Mix everything together. Then add in oil and lemon juice and make it to a nice thick paste.

• You can store this paste in the refrigerator for 15 days. The oil acts as a preservative.
• Pat the fish dry using a tissue.

• Now take some marinate in a bowl. and mix very little water and mix well.
• Now marinate the fish using the fresh masala paste. I use more masala. You can adjust the masala quantity according to your preference. I also marinated prawns using this masala. So it got done the same day.

• Refrigerate for minimum 2-3 hours. More the marination time, more the flavor!
• In a frying pan, heat enough oil for shallow frying.
• Place the fish on the pan and reduce to medium flame. Be careful as there might be some spluttering.

• Cook for 3 mins and flip the fish carefully.
• Cook for another 3 mins.

• Remove it from the pan.
• Serve hot.
• We like it along with some rice and fish curry / prawn curry. I love to have it seperately along with some sliced onions and a dash of lemon juice.
• Other combinations would be along with rasam rice / sambar rice.

Notes

• This recipe can be substituted for any fish variety.
• Overnight marination works perfect. If you are planning beforehand, do marinate overnight.
• This masala paste can be used to make lots of vegetarian dishes too.
• Add red chilli paste for more color. Just soak 10 kashmiri red chillies in hot water for 20 mins. Grind it to a smooth paste. Add oil in a pan and cook this paste for 10 mins in low flame. It gives nice red color but less spice.
• Do make sure the oil is hot enough before placing the fish on the pan. Else the fish skin might stick to the pan.
• A simple tip to use the leftover oil used for frying fish (Mother-in-law’s idea) : Heat the oil and add 1 cup finely chopped onions and saute in high-medium flame for 3 mins. The oil on its own has so much flavor. Add in 1/2 tsp of chilli powder + 1/2 tsp salt and cook well till the onion is cooked. Around 4 mins. Enjoy this with some hot rice or dosai. Tastes superb!