Name: Amritsari fish fry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 500 g sea bass fish fillets (or any firm fish); ¼ cup gram flour (besan); 3 tbsp rice flour; 3 tbsp wheat flour (or plain four); 1 tbsp ajwain (carom seeds); 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste; 1 tbsp lime juice; ¼ tsp asafetida (hing); 1 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (for its colour, not heat); 1 cup oil (for deep frying); salt (to taste); 2 tsp chaat masala; 2 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)

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A very addictive fish fry recipe from the heartland of Amritsar, perfect as a party snack, appetiser and great with drinks too!

I have just finished making and devouring this, and yet here I am craving some more. That is exactly how addictively delicious my Amritsari fish fry is! Like the name suggests, this one comes from Amritsar – the city of the Golden Temple. This fish fry is generally, made with local river water fishes found in the city. However, I have made mine with sea bass fillets. In fact, any firm fish works brilliantly in this recipe. Now, while the fish pieces here are dipped in a gram flour batter and fried, they are not your typical batter fried fish – popularly known as fish pakodas. And that is because, the batter forms a very thin coating over the fish. So, you won’t really be biting into much of the batter in this one. Therefore, it is best called fish fry and not fish pakodas.

The signature spice in an Amritsari fish fry is ajwain or carom seeds. And that is what actually lends this yummy fish fry it’s flavour. That’s because, apart from this you only have turmeric and red chilli powder in spices. It is the carom seeds that imparts a lovely pungent, spicy flavour to this very popular fish recipe. This fish fry, is great as a party snack, appetiser and pairs extremely well with an evening drink. These make for the perfect finger food, since the fish that I have used here is also boneless and skinless. Moreover, this is a quick and easy recipe which doesn’t even require any marination. This is such a simple recipe recipe that you will not even need to plan to make this. Some fish and some basic kitchen ingredients is all that you will need.

Amritsari fish fry

As you must have already figured, this is a deep fried snack. And that makes it crispy and crunchy from the outside, while the fish remains soft and flaky inside. It is such an amazing treat, I tell you. Nonetheless, if you do not wish to deep fry it, you could also bake or pan fry the fishes. In that case you will be enjoying an Amritsari fish tikka and not a fry. That also tastes great and makes for an equally yummy appetizer. However, the one change you will need to make is, adding some yoghurt in the batter. Yoghurt is an essential component while making tikkas, rest all your other marination ingredients will remain the same. When making the tikka version, thread the fish pieces in a skewer and bake or pan roast them, until done.

Serving suggestion

The Amritsari fish fry and even the tikka, for that matter, is best served warm and fresh. Sprinkle some chaat masala on them for the final flourish and serve. A spicy coriander and mint chutney makes for the perfect dip for them. Alternatively, you could also serve it with some ketchup – this is more popular with the kids. I am pretty sure that once you make this fish fry, you will keep making them often! Not just yummy, but they are so easy to cook as well. Moreover with a handful of ingredients.

So, if you happen to give this yummy snack a try, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you. You could share your fish fry/tikka pictures on Instagram and also drop a comment/rating below. I’d be thrilled to hear your feedback.

Eat hearty!