Indian Seer Fish Fry Recipe | Surmai Tawa Fry Recipe | How to Make Seer Fish Fry?

Everyone in my family absolutely loves seafood and each one of them has a different favorite. And so, my collection is brimming with delicious, mouthwatering seafood preparations, right from appetizers and soups to curries and biryanis. I hope to share with you all the lovely recipes, starting from this one. Today’s recipe is an appetizer which you can also serve as a party food. It’s a no-fuss recipe with little cleaning needed afterwards, can be made ahead of time and the cooking process takes a few minutes. It’s called Seer Fish Fry or Surmai Tawa Fry.

Surmai (सुरमई)or seer fish is a very popular salt-water fish mainly for its taste. Besides, it’s widely available across the coastal areas of India and the immediate regions to which fish can be safely transported for consumption. It’s absorbs the flavors really well and I personally love the texture. Tawa (तवा)means griddle and this fish recipe is shallow-fried on a griddle, hence the name. Ideally, the fish is shallow-fried on a well-seasoned cast iron griddle. If the griddle is not seasoned, the fish will stick to the griddle, causing the rice flour coating to separate from the fish, causing the fish to disintegrate. So it ruins the entire recipe. The lack of a well-seasoned cast iron griddle led me to try cooking the fish in a non-stick pan. And boy was I impressed! The fish slices stay intact, perfectly browned and crisp on the outside.

The Simplicity of Seer Fish Fry

What I love the most about this seer fish recipe is that it’s easy and involves the combination of the most basic ingredients. In spite of that, the flavors are stunning. They appeal to your sense like none of the fancy fish recipes ever could. The fragrance of mustard oil, the deep-set piquancy of garlic and ginger, the vibrant color from the turmeric, the crisp texture from the rice flour and semolina, and the fleshiness of the fish itself; it’s a culinary delight.

The Resting Phase

I highly recommend resting the fish for at least 12 hours in the freezer. It takes 2 hours for the fish to thaw. Once that’s done, you can proceed with cooking the fish. Resting the fish for longer ensure the flavors penetrate deep within the flesh. So try keeping it for longer like I did.

Substitute for Byadgi Mirch Powder

Byadgi mirch is a medium-hot variety of red chilies. It’s extremely flavorful, tasty and has a fantastic color too. I highly recommend you buy it. Alternatively, you can mix 1 part of Kashmiri chili powder and 1 part of regular hot variety of red chili powder.

How to Make Seer Fish Fry

5.0 from 5 reviews

Seer Fish Fry Recipe

Save Print

Prep time

14 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

14 hours 20 mins

Surmai Fish Fry is an easy Indian appetizer recipe made with seer fish marinated in mustard oil and Indian spices. It’s crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and healthy too since it is shallow-fried.

Author: Monica

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For Marinating the Fish

Seer Fish/Surmai – 500 grams, cleaned and rinsed
Mustard oil – 2 tbsp, heated to the smoking point & cooled
Ginger – 1 & ½ inch piece, finely crushed
Garlic – 10 medium-sized cloves, finely crushed
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Byadgi mirch powder – ½ tbsp
Turmeric –½ tsp

Other Ingredients

Rice flour – ¼ cup
Fine semolina – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Byadgi mirch powder – 1 tsp
Mustard Oil – 2 tbsp, heated to the smoking point & cooled

Instructions

First of all, combine the marinade ingredients; 2 tbsp of mustard oil, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, salt, turmeric, and ½ tsp byadgi mirch powder.
Mix well and add in the slices of seer fish. Gently rub the marinade on each slice.Be careful since the fish is delicate and might disintegrate.
Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and pop it into the freezer for the next 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
Take the fish out of the freezer 2 hours before you want to cook it.
Once the fish has thawed, combine the rice flour, fine semolina, salt, and 1 tsp byadgi mirch powder in a plate. Mix well.
Coat the marinated seer fish in the flour mixture. Make sure the layer of flour is uniform and thin.
Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a pan or tawa till it reaches the smoking point. Once it cools down, reheat it to a temperature that’s ideal for frying fish. Arrange the seer fish in the pan and shallow-fry it on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes till the underside has set.
Flip the fish and let it cook for another 6-7 minutes until it’s crispy, cooked through and light brown in color.
Remove it onto a plate and serve it hot with onions and lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Notes

Prepare the marinade before you go to buy fish. The fish tends to swell and become stale rapidly without refrigeration.

Surmai / Seer Fish Fry Recipe with Step by Step Pictures Below

Step 1

Prepare the ingredients for seer fish fry. I have taken 500 grams of seer fish. For the marinade you will need 2 tbsp of mustard oil that has been heated to the smoking point and cooled, crushed ginger 1 & ½-inch piece, crushed garlic 10 medium-sized cloves, 1 tsp lemon juice, salt to taste, ½ tsp turmeric, and ½ tsp byadgi mirch powder.

Step 2

For coating the fish, you will need ¼ cup rice flour, 1 tbsp fine semolina, salt to taste, and 1 tsp byadgi mirch powder. You will also need 2 tbsp of mustard oil for shallow frying the fish.

Step 3

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl.

Step 4

Mix well.

Step 5

Add in the slices of seer fish.

Step 6

Gently rub the marinade on each slice. Be careful since the fish is delicate and might disintegrate.Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and pop it into the freezer for the next 12 hours or up to 24 hours.Take the fish out of the freezer 2 hours before you want to cook it.

Step 7

Once the fish has thawed, combine the rice flour, fine semolina, salt, and 1 tsp byadgi mirch powder in a plate.Mix well.

Step 8

Coat the marinated seer fish in the flour mixture. Make sure the layer of flour is uniform and thin.

Step 9

Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a pan or tawa till it reaches the smoking point. Once it cools down, reheat it to a temperature that’s ideal for frying fish. Arrange the seer fish in the pan and shallow-fry it on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes till the underside has set.