Pomfret / Paplet Fry
The marinade that actually clings to the fish, straight off a Konkan tawa. Every bite packed with it.
The marinade that actually clings. Straight off a Konkan tawa: deep-scored fish, masala pushed into the cuts, and a rice-flour-and-rava coat that goes gold and stays crisp.
Every bite is packed with it, which is the entire point of a coastal fish fry and the thing most versions get wrong.
The technique · Score deep, coat late
Gash the fish three or four times to the bone so the masala reaches the middle, then rest it 30 minutes — an hour or two in the fridge is better. Coat in the flour and rava only just before it hits the oil, or the crust goes soggy before it fries.
Method
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What goes wrong, and why
- The masala slid off in the pan. The fish was still wet, or the coating went on too early.
- Crust burnt, middle raw. Flame too high. Medium-low, four to five minutes a side, no rushing.
- It broke when flipped. Two spatulas, and only turn once the first side has set into a crust.
- Bland at the bone. The cuts were too shallow, or the rest was too short.
Serve it with
Lemon wedges, raw onion rings and a mint-coriander chutney. Then dal-chawal, or a rice bhakri and a bowl of curry for the full coastal plate.
Watch us make it
The scoring and the coating are the two things worth watching closely.
More from the kitchen
Made it?
Tell us how it turned out
Every question we have ever been asked about this one came from someone's kitchen at 8pm. Ours is open.