Karimeen Fry or Pearl Spot Fry - A Real Temptation to the Tastebuds

Karimeen or Pearl spot fish is considered as a tasty fish that makes our mouths water. Though the fish has got tasty flesh, you need to know the trick to cook it well. Mostly in the state of Kerala, we find Pearl Spot of Karimeen as a favorite among most of the people. Majority of the people prefer to eat fried Karimeen. And most people do not even attempt to make a Karimeen curry or a Pearl spot curry.

While travelling to Alappuzha, we had this wonderful experience in houseboat, that afternoon. It was this wonderful Pearl spot fish fry that has tempted all of us even in the midst of the mind blowing landscape that we were experiencing that time. The taste of Karimeen fry cannot be explained in mere words.

You can fry this tasty fish in two different ways. One is to deep fry in coconut oil after marinating it with the masalas or spices to make it taste superb. Yet another method is to marinate the fish in the masalas and then to wrap it in a coconut leaf. The next step would be to fry the wrapped fish in coconut oil. This method can be considered as another method of baking, but we make use of oil for getting the fish cooked well. I think this one is the more tasty and time consuming method of frying. And I must say it is very popular among the people of Kerala. Tourists who come from far off countries make it a point to try Karimeen fry at least once during their visit to the God’s Own Country.

Usually we find Karimeen or Pearl spot in fresh waters, lagoons, ponds or even in backwaters. This is the reason why we get this fish in large numbers in Alappuzha and the places nearby. So if you are planning to make karimeen fry, just check out my recipe and make sure you let me know how it tasted.

Ingredients

·         Karimeen or Pearl Spot – 4 nos

·         Shallots   - 6-8

·         Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp

·         Chili powder – 2 tsp

·         Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

·         Pepper powder – ½ tsp

·         Salt

·         Oil (Coconut oil would be the right choice)

Method

1.  Clean the fish well

2.  With the help of a knife, slightly cut the fish so that the spices can go deep into it. Do not cut it deep. You need to lightly make 4 or 5 cuts on fish

3.  In a plate, you may mix the spices – chili powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder

4.  To this masala, add ginger garlic paste, shallot paste and salt

5. Make the masala into a thick paste. You may sprinkle a small amount of water on it to make to a thick paste

6. Apply the paste on the fish one by one

7. Let it rest for 10 mnts or more. If you want to keep it for more hours, make sure you refrigerate it.

8.  Heat a frying pan, pour coconut oil

9.  When the oil is heated, you may fry the fish one by one

10.Place them on kitchen tissues to drain off excess oil

11.Serve with onions and tomatoes

12. Enjoy!!