Surmai / Neimeen / Kingfish Tawa Fry

We went to the fish market in INA last weekend and bought kingfish / surmai and mackerel / bangda. This time we got a whole kingfish / surmai that was not too big, it was then cleaned and cut as per our choice. The fish vendor also had some really big surmai that would be filleted according to the customers' choice. At home, the only way to cook kingfish / surmai is to fry it. We like to tawa fry the fish after marinating it for some time in the masalas. 

Tawa fish fry is where the fish slice is fried in a tawa or a very shallow pan with enough oil to cover the underside of the slice of fish. If necessary oil can be added little by little as more batches are fried. Also another feature is that this fish is not batter coated but is fried with only the marinade on.

Ingredients
Surmai - 500 gms
Onion - 1/2
Garlic - 7 to 8 cloves
Red chilli pwd - 1 tsp
Black pepper pwd - 1tsp
Turmeric pwd - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp
Clean and slice the fish and keep aside.

Grind the onion and garlic with no water or as less water as possible. Take this mix into a bowl and add the red chilli, pepper and turmeric powders and the salt and mix together with a spoon. When mixed well, apply to each slice of fish and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

 

Heat a tawa or if you do not have one, use a shallow pan and add the oil into it. This is not a deep fried fish, it is done with enough oil to coat the bottom of the fish completely without submerging the slice. When the oil is hot, lower the heat on low to medium and place the fish slices in, leaving space between slices. After about 5 to 8 minutes, turn the slice over and cook. Fry both sides till the slices are cooked, till firm. If you do not want your fish crisp, take it out once the fish is firm and golden on both sides. At home, we like our fish to be fried firm and crisp on the outside and is mostly done till browned. Enjoy this fried fish with rice and dad or sambhar.