Andhra Fish Fry Recipe

This easy Andhra style Fish Fry is the simplest seafood you can make when you want something quick, easy and delicious. Fish steak or fillet is coated with spices, herbs and lemon juice. It is next pan fried until cooked through and aromatic. My family loves this fish fry with a side of rice, rasam and stir fried veggies or salad. If you ever visit a meat serving South Indian restaurant, you are likely to see this on the menus.

About Indian Fish Fry

Different kinds of fish fry are served and each one is so different from the other. Andhra style dishes are high on heat levels and garam masala. While the Tamil style dishes use a liberal amount of fennel seeds and the Kerala style has their fish pan fried in coconut oil.

One particular variation is also made with sauteed shallots, spices, curry leaves and fish, wrapped in a banana leaf and pan fried or baked. This is known as meen pollichatu which I hope to share some time.

However the recipe I am sharing here is the simplest you can make with pantry staples and requires no chopping or grinding. But you need ginger garlic paste. If you don’t have it, you may grate fresh ginger and garlic with a very fine grater. Alternately use ground dried ginger and ground garlic. The flavors would be different but still they work.

My Recipe

This is a small recipe for a single serving and you can easily make a larger batch. It is not much of a recipe but a simple technique to fry fish in a pan. You can easily adjust the spice levels to your taste or even use a different seasoning if you want.

I don’t use store bought seasonings or masala due to additives so I stick to this homemade garam masala. Sometimes I also use this homemade curry leaves powder for a variation which I sprinkle at the last stage. Can’t say how good it tastes and it is totally a big hit every time I make it.

Apart from the simple recipe, I also have another super good idea to make fish fry when you have leftover curried fish. This is my Mom’s idea to use up the leftover fish pieces in the pulusu. Fish curry/stew develops plenty of flavors when it rests for a day.

So she would always use the leftover fish steak (from pulusu/curry) to fry with ghee and black pepper. I can easily say it is best you can make anytime. You can find it at the second half of this post.

Simple Fish Recipes you may like
Crispy Fish Fry
Amritsari Tawa Fish
Tandoori Salmon
Apollo Fish
Lemon Pepper Fish

Photo Guide

How to make Fish Fry (stepwise photos)

1. I have used a single steak weighing 250 grams. You can increase the quantity of ingredients proportionately if you are using more fish. Do not use too much masala powder, red chili powder and ginger garlic paste for marination. It will taste bitter. For added spice, sprinkle more spice powders at step 5.

2. Make a paste of salt, red chili powder, garam masala, ginger, garlic, turmeric and lemon juice. Taste test and adjust as required. Marinate fish with this and keep aside for just 10 minutes.

3. Heat a heavy bottom pan with 1 tbsp. oil or ghee. If deep frying use oil. If pan frying, to get an Andhra taste, use ghee. To get a Kerala taste use coconut oil. But any oil will do as well.

4. You can shallow fry, deep fry or pan fry, use oil accordingly. I suggest using a small pan, so less oil can be used to fry.

5. When the oil becomes just hot enough, place the fish in the oil and fry on a medium flame. After 3 to 4 minutes turn it to the other side and add curry leaves. Fry until the fish is cooked through. If you are pan frying and want to make a spicy fish fry, sprinkle more red chili powder, black pepper or garam masala now (not for deep fry or shallow fry).

Tip: You know it is fully cooked, if the fish flakes easily at the prick of a fork. Use a food thermometer to check if you have one. The internal temperature should reach 145 F or 63 C in the thickest part of the fish.

6. Switch off the stove. Garnish Andhra fish fry with onion wedges and serve.

Method 2 – My Mom’s ghee roasted fish

Make this Fish curry, fish pulusu or any other stewed fish of choice. Refrigerate for 8 hours or till the next day. You can also make with leftover fish steaks. I have never tried this with salmon from a curry and may not be suitable for this recipe. Adding garam masala, red chili powder and ginger garlic paste is optional. Use them for more flavor if you want.

Ingredients
2 Fish pieces soaked in curry or pulusu
2 sprigs of curry leaves
¼ teaspoon. freshly ground pepper (coarse is preferred)
Salt very little (it is already salted in the curry)
⅛ tsp. Ginger garlic paste
1 to 2 tbsp. Ghee
Red chili powder as needed (optional)
Garam masala as needed (optional)

Instructions
Remove the fish pieces from the gravy and set aside. Heat a heavy bottom nonstick pan with ghee. Add curry leaves and fry till they turn crisp. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until aromatic. Increase the flame to highest. Add fish and sprinkle little salt and pepper. Fry for around 2 mins.

Reduce the flame to medium. Fry for around 4 to 6 mins. Add garam masala, chili powder if desired. Turn the pieces to the other side as you fry and off the heat. Serve this Andhra fish fry with the curry/stew and rice.

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