Fish Fry Karaikudi Style

Ingredients

• - 500g seer fish (king mackerel)
• - 3 tbsp sesame oil or oil
• - 2 large onions
• - 2 tomatoes
• - 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• - 1 tsp red chilli powder
• - 1 tsp coriander powder
• - 1/2 tsp turmeric
• - 1/2 tsp garam masala
• - 1 sprig curry leaves
• - Salt to taste
• - Fresh coriander

Method

1. Prepare fish: Clean and cut firm fish (seer fish preferred) into thick steaks. Pat completely dry.
2. Make Karaikudi marinade: Grind 6 dried red chillies, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 5 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger, 1 tsp fennel seeds and a small ball of tamarind with salt to a thick paste.
3. Marinate generously: Coat all surfaces of the fish steaks with the thick spice paste. Marinate 2 hours for best flavour.
4. Heat sesame oil: Heat 4 tbsp sesame oil in a flat pan on medium-high heat.
5. Fry first side: Carefully place fish steaks in hot oil. Do not move for 4-5 minutes until bottom is very dark red-brown.
6. Flip: Turn each steak with a wide spatula. Fry the second side 4-5 minutes.
7. Fry in batches: Do 2-3 pieces at a time — never crowd the pan or the fish will steam instead of fry.
8. Check doneness: Fish should be firm and dark on the outside and just cooked through — it should flake when pressed.
9. Drain on paper: Remove and drain briefly.
10. Serve: Serve immediately with a lime wedge and curry leaves. No whole fish with head visible. Karaikudi fish fry is boldly spiced. Serve with steamed rice and kuzhambu.