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The delights of Indian cuisine go beyond curries. One such delight is the mackerel fish fry. In this fish fry we will marinate fresh mackerel in a vinegar based marinade with delicious spices, and shallow fry in a little oil until the fish is a beautiful golden brown.
So allow me to tell you a little bit about Indian mackerel and why we should eat this delicious fish!
Jump to:
What Is Indian Mackerel?
Indian mackerel is also known by these names in India: bangada, bangda, and ayla, or ayala, among other names. It is a species of mackerel in the scombrid family and is mainly found in the Indian and West Pacific oceans, and surrounding seas (per Wikipedia).
It's a beautiful oily fish with a shiny and silver skin that is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. The taste is fairly mild, and this fish is just wonderful when pan fried, as in this recipe.
Why Should I Make This Recipe?
If you love fish, then try making this Indian Fried Mackerel Recipe! This recipe is:
- Easy! All you will need to do is make a simple marinade and allow the mackerel to marinate for 30 minutes, and then pan fry and you're ready to enjoy it!
- Quick! After marinating the fish, it should take around 5 minutes to shallow fry it.
- Delicious! The marinade is a mixture of spicy and salty flavors, which impart a marvelous taste to the mackerel.
Is your appetite whetted for this fried mackerel? If so, please read on to find out what ingredients you will need to make this dish!
🥘 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this delicious mackerel fish fry:
- Indian mackerel - I purchased cleaned and gutted frozen mackerel from my local Indian/Pakistani store which I defrosted prior to using
- Olive oil - can substitute coconut oil (more traditionally used) or vegetable oil
- Salt
- Turmeric powder
- Ginger garlic paste - do not use minced ginger/garlic as it will not give you best results and is not appropriate for this recipe
- Indian red chili powder
- Garam masala
- Cumin powder
- Vinegar
- Besan gram flour - this will be almost like a batter and will help give us a little crispy texture when frying
Garnishes include:
- Lime - a squeeze of lime over the cooked mackerel is delightful!
- Curry leaves - optional garnish
- Cilantro - optional garnish
Now I'll guide you with step-by-step instructions as to how to make this simple recipe!
🔪 Instructions
It's super easy and quick to make this mackerel recipe! I am using cleaned and gutted mackerel for this recipe.
Prepare The Mackerel
Begin by preparing the fish. Rinse the mackerel and pat dry using paper towels. Cut several slits into the flesh on each side of the mackerel.
By the way, if you like you can remove any protruding fish bones with a pair of tweezers if you like.
Sprinkle both sides and the inside with a mixture of ½ ts salt and ½ ts turmeric and set it aside while you make the marinade.
Make The Marinade
Combine the ginger garlic paste, vinegar, red chili powder, ½ ts turmeric and ½ ts salt, garam masala and cumin in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Coat the fish with the marinade. It's easiest to use your hands to do this. Coat both sides as well as the inside of the mackerel, and make sure that the marinade goes into the slits in the flesh which you have made. Cover and leave to marinate for 30 minutes in your fridge.
Fry The Mackerel
After 30 minutes remove the fish from your fridge. Add ¼ cup of besan gram flour to a plate, and coat the fish with the besan on both sides.
Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the mackerel to the pan and fry each side for 2-3 minutes or until the fish has browned nicely. You'll want to check it 2 minutes in (on each side) to make sure it's not burning. Nudge the fish before trying to turn it over. If it doesn't move easily, it is not ready to turn and you should allow it to cook a little longer before checking it.
Once the fish has finished cooking, drain them on a paper towel lined plate. Now it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Enjoy Your Indian Fried Mackerel!
Get ready to enjoy this wonderful taste of Indian cuisine! Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, and/or curry leaves, and enjoy your delicious Indian Fried Mackerel! Be sure to squeeze some lime juice over the fish for maximum enjoyment!
This flavorful mackerel is perfect served with some basmati rice as part of your main meal. Or it's delightful served as a side dish to accompany other dishes such as Indian Spiced Green Lentils.
I hope you will make plans to savor this delicious fish soon!
FAQ
Indian mackerel is also known by these names in India: bangada, bangda, and ayla, or ayala, among other names.
Indian mackerel does have bones and smaller mackerel are more fiddly to eat because of the bones than larger mackerel. In fact, it may be easier to eat the mackerel with your hands!
Clovegarden.com has a great tutorial on how to fillet Indian mackerel!
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other recipes that you may enjoy:
- Indian Butter Chicken
- Healthy and Delicious Indian Spiced Cabbage
- The BEST Indian Spiced Roasted Cauliflower
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Grace
Delicious Indian Fried Mackerel Recipe
Equipment
- large pan
Ingredients
- 5 each mackerel select small mackerel, cleaned and gutted
- 2 tablespoon olive oil can sub coconut oil or vegetable oil
- ½ ts salt
- ½ ts turmeric
- ¼ cup besan gram flour can sub rice flour
Marinade
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 2 ts red chili powder add additional to taste if you like
- ½ ts salt
- ½ ts turmeric
- ¼ ts garam masala
- ¼ ts cumin
- 2 tablespoon vinegar
Garnishes - Optional
- ¼ each lime cut into wedges
- 1.5 tablespoon curry leaves
- 1.5 tablespoon cilantro
Instructions
Prepare The Mackerel
- Rinse the mackerel and pat dry using paper towels. Cut several slits into the flesh on each side of the mackerel. Sprinkle both sides and the inside with a mixture of ½ ts salt and ½ ts turmeric and set it aside while you make the marinade.
Make The Marinade
- Combine the ginger garlic paste, vinegar, red chili powder, ½ ts turmeric and ½ ts salt, garam masala and cumin in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Coat the fish with the marinade. It's easiest to use your hands to do this. Coat both sides as well as the inside of the mackerel, and make sure that the marinade goes into the slits in the flesh which you have made. Cover and leave to marinate for 30 minutes in your fridge.
Frying The Fish
- After 30 minutes remove the fish from your fridge. Add ¼ cup of besan gram flour to a plate, and coat the fish with the besan on both sides.
- Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the mackerel to the pan and fry each side for 2-3 minutes or until the fish has browned nicely. You'll want to check it 2 minutes in (on each side) to make sure it's not burning. Nudge the fish before trying to turn it over. If it doesn't move easily, it is not ready to turn and you should allow it to cook a little longer before checking it.
- Once the fish has finished cooking, drain them on a paper towel lined plate.
Enjoy Your Indian Fried Mackerel!
- Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, and/or curry leaves, and enjoy your delicious Indian Fried Mackerel!
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