This pomfret fish fry recipe is spicy and super delicious. Marinated in basic spices, the fish is cooked to perfection either on tawa or in air fryer.
We relish seafood in my home. From shrimp or prawns to fish, we are seafoodies. 🙂
Pomfret is a popular sea fish in India that has very tasty flesh. It is often made as fish fry or tawa fry.
This recipe is easy to make and the fish only needs 15-30 minutes of marination.
You may also like: Mangalore Prawn Curry Recipe, Goan Prawn Curry, Bengali Fish Curry, Pink Perch Fry.
Ingredients Used
1. Pomfret: White Pomfret works the best here. If you can't source it then any meaty white fish like king fish, catfish or halibut will work. The taste will not be the same.
2. Spices: Kashmiri Red chilli powder gives it its signature red colour. Also used in ginger garlic paste for its spicy notes.
Chickpea flour makes the marinade thick and gives the fish a nice coating. Rice flour can be used as a substitute.
3. Lemon juice helps in reducing the fishy odor as well as in making the fish tender.
4. Oil: A little oil is used to help prevent the fish from drying out. Use olive oil or mustard oil.
Stepwise Pictures
1. Take 1.2 lb. or about 500 gm, scaled and cleaned white pomfret. I have four fishes here.
Make deep gashes in the fish on both sides. Marinate for 10 minutes in salt, lemon juice and turmeric powder.
This helps in reducing the fishy smell.
2. Take all the ingredients for a the second marinade and blend in a blender to a thick paste.
3. The 2nd marinade paste is quite thick. It has a rich red colour from Kashmiri chilli powder.
Reduce cayenne or spices as per your preference.
4. Generously apply the marinade to the fish, both outside and inside.
Marinate for 15 minutes.
Shallow Fry
5. Shallow fry in 2 tbsp. hot oil.
Three minutes on each side was enough for me.
Don't overcook the fish. Serve hot with onion rings and lemon wedges.
Air fryer Instructions
Preheat air fryer at 180C or 360F for 5 minutes.
Brush air fryer basket with oil or use a parchment paper with holes.
Place 2 marinated fishes on the basket.
Air fry at 180C or 360F for 5 minutes.
Apply oil with a brush and flip the fish so that both sides get equally browned.
Again cook in the air fryer for 180C or 360F for 5 minutes.
Your fish is done perfectly and is evenly cooked.
Take it out and serve hot with lemon wedges and onion rings.
If you have larger fishes then your air frying time will be more. So do watch out for that.
Enjoy tasty pomfret fry.
If you want to try an interesting fish recipe, here's how to make fish roll by my friend, Louisa.
Here's the recipe card:
📖 Recipe Card
Pomfret Fry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pomfret fish 1.1 lb or 500 gm. cleaned, scales removed
For 1st marinade
- ½ tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. salt
For 2nd marinade
- 1 tsp. garlic paste or minced
- 1 tsp. ginger paste or minced
- 2 green chillies
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. coriander powder
- 1 tbsp. Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp. red chilli powder optional
- 1 tbsp. chickpea flour or besan
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp. Oil for shallow frying
Garnish
- Onion slices
- Lemon slices
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Instructions
- Clean the fish well. Make slashes on both sides in the flesh so that the fish absorbs the marinade well.
- Apply salt, turmeric and lemon juice on the fishes. Ensure that you apply in the slashes and the body cavity. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the marinade by mixing ginger garlic paste with chickpea flour, ground coriander, garam masala, Kashmiri chilli powder, chilli powder and salt. Add little water to make a thick paste.
- Apply this marinade on the pomfret pieces ensuring that you apply inside the gashes and in the cavity. Marinate for 15-30 minutes.
Shallow Fry
- Now heat a pan to shallow fry the pomfret. Add 2 tbsp. oil and heat. Add marinated pomfret to the tawa or pan. Don’t crowd it too much.
- Cook on each side for about 3 minutes on medium flame till each side is browned and the pomfret is well cooked.
Air fryer Instructions
- Take it out on a plate. Serve with onion rings and lemon slices. Put some chaat masala on top if needed.
- Serve it with chilled beer or with a side of rice pulao. Your delicious pomfret fry is ready to eat.
- Preheat air fryer at 180C or 360F for 5 minutes.Brush air fryer basket with oil or use a parchment paper with holes.
- Place 2 marinated fishes on the basket.Air fry at 180C or 360F for 5 minutes. Apply oil with a brush and flip the fish so that both sides get equally browned.
- Again cook in the air fryer for 180C or 360F for 5 minutes. Your fish is done perfectly and is evenly cooked.
- If you have larger fishes then your air frying time will be more. So do watch out for that.
- Take out the fish on a plate. Serve hot with onion rings and lemon wedges. Enjoy.
Notes
- Always buy fresh fish. Look for transparent eyes and red gills.
- Marinating it first with turmeric, salt and lemon juice helps remove the fishy smell.
- Remember that the first marinade already has salt so add salt in the second one accordingly.
- You could use rava (semolina) or rice flour for a crunchy coating in place of besan or chickpea flour
- Don’t overcook the fish. You can also bake it or cook it in air fryer instead of tawa frying it. Some people deep fry it as well.
- You can use this recipe for making other fish like seer fish, kingfish, mackerel, sardine etc. If you like you can coat the fish with some seasoned rava for a crunchy crust.
- Enjoy your pomfret tawa fry. If you do the marination in advance, this would be perfect for a get together with friends.
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, I request you to leave a star rating. Thanks.
Rekha says
Will share the recipe with the husband as he cooks non-veg here.
theloveofspice says
This looks SO delicious, Rachna! Pomfret is one of my favorites, though I do love my chicken too! ?
Love the step by step photos!
Shilpa Garg says
Wow! That looks so perfect, inviting and delicious. I so want to dig into it. Will share this recipe with KG. Thanks!
Rachna says
Thanks Shilpa!
Vinitha says
I’m drooling here. Definitely trying this recipe next time.
Rachna says
Thanks Vinitha ?
Sanch @ Sanch Writes says
That looks delicious! I might try the marinade for some other fish though as I’m not sure if I’ve seen pomfret here. In any case, I’m still a bit wary to use a whole fish and prefer buying fillets
Rachna says
I think it should work with any firm fish. Fillets are fine as well.