Tawa Fish (Fish Fry Masala Recipe) - Hinz Cooking - A Food Blog with Simple and Easy Dinner Recipes (2024)

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Here is the most comforting and satisfying Tawa Fish prepared with homemade fish fry masala recipe. Shallow fried with crispy crust! Tender, soft, juicy, and full of spices.

You will find this recipe on street of Pakistan especially in winter season. Easy and healthy dinner idea for family dinner! Super delicious and extremely easy to make!

Fish fry masala is one of the most popular street food recipes that you can serve at dinner and lunch. It's a spicy fish fry marinated in a yogurt masala using desi spices and herbs and then shallow fried in a skillet. Extremely delicious, soft, and tender recipe for foodies to make at home.

What is Tawa Fish?

Tawa is skillet or griddle in Hindi and Urdu. So it's a skillet or pan fried fish marinated with desi spices with sharp crispy crust. It's a popular recipe of fish that most of the house in India and Pakistan loves to make and serve with steamed rice and roti/naan.

Most demanding street food recipe that people loves to eat with family especially in winter season. The tender and appetizing texture of fish coated with spicy masala is the most comforting and satisfying and keeps full for long time. And believe me, it's drooling to enjoy the delectable aroma while cooking.

You know, this fish fillet is crispy and golden from outside and juices are intact inside to enjoy the real taste. Make it with or without skin all depend upon choice! I love to make it on every dinner as it's extremely healthy and good for health.

As you know the seafood is healthy and always recommended to add in diet. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids and multivitamins like D and B2 (riboflavin). High in calcium, phosphorus, and a great source of potassium, iron, and zinc.

To make this masala spicy fish, you can use any type of fish that you like or have at home. You can also apply the same masala on fish fillets to make the recipe in a similar way.

Why Do I Love This Recipe

I personally love to cook fish 2 times within a week. It's a healthy and the best source of protein, easily digest so mainly serving in dinner. You can apply the same marination to bake in the oven or bbq cooking.

• It's a simple and easy recipe and prepare with minimal spices from pantry staple.
• Family favorite recipe.
• Cooked in less oil, better than deep fried.
• Packed with vitamins and healthy fats.
• Easily cook on nonstick tawa(skillet) without sticking.

I prefer to take fish without bones to avoid throat stuck issues especially if kids are eating. In case, you have fish with bones then use remove the bones before giving to kids. Worth reading this post if fish bone stuck in throat.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Fish - Take fish fillet or steak as per the choice with skin or without skin. Prefer to have without skin as it makes crisp texture directly on flesh.
• Yogurt - Best to take thick yogurt (non watery).
• Spices: salt - 1 Tsp, Black Pepper - ½ Tsp, Red Chili Powder - ½ Tsp, Turmeric - ½ Tsp, Coriander Powder - ½ Tsp, Garam Masala Powder - ½ Tsp, Carom Seed Powder - ⅓ Tsp, Roasted Cumin Powder - ⅓ Tsp.
• Ginger Garlic Paste - Freshly made ginger and garlic paste.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: It will add a savory and acetic flavor in fish. Skip if using mango powder.
• Oil - For shallow frying! best to take canola or vegetable oil.

How To Make Tawa Fish

Wash and dry the fish pieces. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on fish from both sides.

Preparation of Fish Marinade

First start with marinating the fish in a homemade fish masala. For this, In a deep bowl, add yogurt, salt, black pepper, red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, carom seed powder, roasted cumin, garlic, and ginger paste. Mix all the ingredients to make a thick paste.

Marinade the Fish

Now apply the paste on fish on both sides and marinate for 01 hours or give it more time for marination to absorb the masala.

Shallow Frying on Skillet (Tawa)

After 01 hours, brush oil on skillet/Tawa. As the oil heated up then place the fish fishes and let it cook for around 10 minutes from both sides. Once one side is cooked and turned to golden brown color then gently flip the fish and cook from another side until it turned to golden color.

Garnish with freshly chopped coriander/cilantro and squeeze lemon juice.

The tasty and delicious Tawa fish fry is ready to eat.

Serve with your favorite chutney or sauce.

Tawa Fish Recipe Video

I always love to make shallow fried or oven-baked fish at home. It's more healthy and tasty as compared to deep-fried fish. Skillet or tawa fish is more crispy and tender in taste. Here is a step-by-step recipe video that will help to easily shallow-fry masala fish fry at home kitchen. So if you are a beginner and looking for how to masala fish fry at home then watch this quick tutorial.

Pro Tips & Variations

• Use fresh fish that shows the moist flesh. If you feel the old fish odor then never use it. Red or pink gills will be visible on fresh fish. Salmon, red snipper, rohu, or paplet are good for this recipe.
• Never make the runny marinade. It should be stick like a thick paste otherwise the fish will be watery while cooking.
• Fish is salty in taste so carefully add salt.
• Fishbone and flesh are so gentle so wash the fish carefully as it can break while washing with tap water.
• Initially cook the fish on high heat as it get the crust then turn the heat to medium. In this way the fish will not break while cooking.
• Gently flip as it can break.

How to Store and Reheat

Store before Frying: You can easily store marinated fish in an airtight container for 2 weeks in freezer. Make sure to store quickly right after marinade. When you need it then take it out, defrost in microwave and pan-fried or bake accordingly.

Store the Cooked Fish: Wrap the fish in Aluminum foil and place in airtight glass container for a week in refrigerator. As you need, take out pieces and place on preheated tawa/skillet/frying pan. Splash little water or oil and cover it on low heat. After 5 minutes, flip the side. It will take 10 to 15 minutes to reheat the fish.

What to Serve with Tawa Fish

This fish is so simple and easy to eat as you can eat it while watching movie as an snack. If you are going to add in dinner then pair up with:

• Coleslaw
• Chutney
• Oven Fries
• Naan
• Butter Garlic Rice
• Honey Garlic Carrots
• Macaroni Salad

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