Apollo Fish Recipe
Updated: December 7, 2022, By Swasthi
Apollo Fish is a popular Restaurant appetizer made with boneless fish, spices and curry leaves. This spicy, hot and super flavorful fried fish is simply delicious and can also be served as a side in an Indian meal. Hyderabadi Apollo Fish also makes for an amazing party snack.
About Apollo Fish
Apollo Fish originated in the city of Hyderabad, India & soon became a favorite among the South Indian seafood lovers. Today you will see this almost on every Andhra Restaurant Menu.
To make Apollo fish, boneless fish cubes are marinated and batter fried until crisp and golden. Then a tempering is made with onions, curry leaves, ginger garlic and green chili.
Sometimes a dash of soya sauce is also added for an umami flavor. Crisp fried fish is then tossed in this tempering.
The method to make this is similar to the way we make Chicken 65. The recipe is easy and quick to make. Though in the restaurants fish is deep fried, you can air fry or even bake it to make the dish healthier.
To make Apollo Fish, any boneless fillets can be used. In India, Murrel fish (korramenu) is commonly used for this, could be because they have less sharp bones.
I have always made this with salmon and prefer to air fry. This is a recipe which I shared a decade ago & is roughly adapted from the popular Telugu Chef Sanjay Thumma.
The original recipe uses yogurt/ Indian curd but I prefer to make it dairy-free. So I haven’t used it here.
In a lot of restaurants, red color is added to impart a deep color. If you fancy the color, you may add a little beetroot extract to the marinade like the way I have done.
More Fish Recipes
Tandoori Salmon
Salmon Curry
Fish Fry
Lemon Pepper Fish
Photo Guide
How to Make Apollo Fish (Stepwise Photos)
Preparation
1. Add 500 grams of boneless fish cubes to a bowl. Marinate with the following ingredients & rest aside for 30 mins. Do not leave them longer.
- 1 to 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
2. When you are ready to fry, pour oil to a deep pan & heat it on a medium flame. Meanwhile sprinkle 2 tablespoons corn starch and 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour.
3. Mix together very well. If the coating isn’t thick enough & is runny, you may sprinkle another tablespoon of corn starch and 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour. This is optional and depends on the amount of your egg white.
4. Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small portion of batter to the oil. It should sizzle and come up to the surface without turning brown. Gently drop the fish pieces and deep fry on a medium heat, until golden and crisp. Remove them to a cooling rack or steel colander.
Make Apollo Fish
5. To another pan, pour 1 tablespoon oil and heat it. (Alternately you may remove the oil from the pan and use the same pan and oil too.) Add 1 sprig curry leaves, 1½ tablespoon ginger, 1½ tablespoon garlic chopped & 1 to 2 slit green chilies. Fry for a minute until aromatic. Add the onions and fry them until golden and slightly soft. Taste test your fried fish and sprinkle some salt as needed.
6. If you want pour 1 tablespoon soya sauce and then add the fried fish pieces. Turn the flame high and stir fry for a minute.
Serve Apollo fish as a starter or side.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Apollo Fish Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 500 grams fish fillet boneless, (cut to small pieces or strips)
- Oil for deep frying
- 2 to 3 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (plain flour)
Marination
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 egg white
Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1½ tablespoon ginger chopped
- 1½ tablespoon garlic chopped
- 2 green chilies slit, deseeded if preferred
- 2 small onions chopped (½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce (optional)
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut the fish to desired size pieces (about ¾ to 1 inch) or to strips and rinse and drain completely.
- Pour the lemon juice and salt over the fish and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Marinate with red chillii powder, turmeric, salt,, ginger garlic paste & egg white. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
- Heat oil for deep frying on a medium heat.
- Sprinkle corn flour and all-purpose flour. Mix well to coat them.
- When the oil is hot enough, reduce the heat to medium, deep fry the pieces until crisp and golden. Remove to a cooling rack or a colander.
How to Make Apollo Fish
- Heat 1 tbsp. oil in another pan. Fry curry leaves till crisp, add ginger garlic and green chilies and fry till you get an aroma.
- Add chopped onions and fry till lightly brown. If you want you may add soya sauce and mix well. Add the fried fish and saute on high for 3 mins.
- Apollo fish fry is ready.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Wonderful recipe.
Your recipes are authentic and easy to follow
Hi,
Can the oil in which fish is fried be reused just wondeting?
Hi Mahek
I discard any deep fried oil. So I try to use minimum oil for deep frying and then discard it.
Thank you for the quick response, Swasthi!
Can I coat them with corn starch or maida? How much should I use in that case?
Regards!
I have already included corn flour and plain flour/maida in the recipe. Since you are not using egg, just skip them here . Make a thick batter of plain flour and corn flour in equal quantites along with chilli powder and little garam masala, Dip the fish pieces in batter and fry in oil. Hope this helps
Hi Swasthi!
Your recipes really are fantastic! I keep coming back for more 🙂 just 2 quick questions:
1. I find salmon a little “fishy” smelling and generally use tilapia, which more tender. Can I use that for this and your other fish recipes?
2. Can I skip egg coating here? What do I substitute egg with? Please do respond soon, if possible:)
Best Regards, Shamni
Hi Shamni
Thank you. Yes you can use tilapia or any kind of fish you like. But for this recipe, make sure you use a variety that has less bones. Preferably no bone. You can just skip the egg in this recipe, but it helps to keep the meat tender, juicy and soft. Hope this helps
Looks Yummy… Have a question for you….Can we bake or grill fish instead of deep frying?
If you want to replicate the restaurant style, then you have to deep fry.
but if you are health conscious like me, you can bake it. i have tried it
several times and has turned out good, but without adding egg.
check this recipe link on how i marinate and bake,
just substitute semolina with flour,
seems very appealing n attractive. will try it as early as convenient
the pic shows a very irresistible n mouth watering dish.<br />
Thanks for your comment. Do try it , you will love it
Thanks Divya! I will spam it any way.
Thanks for your comment Apoorva.
Absolutely love this dish,was planning to make this,your recipe sounds good,will try this one.
Very inviting clicks dear. Fingerlicking fish fry. Take your own time dear, not to worry. Take care of you and your little kids.
take your time swasthi 🙂 lovely fish fry.. like its color..
Like this attractive dish very much….TC….
wow looks delicious dear… i hope to see you back with a bang 🙂 take care
Looks so spicy and delicious..Take care and Thanks for the recipe..