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I was never a huge fan of fish growing up. My mother prefers fish fillet and so learning to eat fish off the bone was a skill I acquired a lot later on in my life. While i’m not at the clean-bone status yet, I feel i leave a lot less fish on the bone now. This recipe is one of those I have absolutely no issues having, the fish turns out so crispy yet soft and moist inside, a real treat. I love serving whole fried fish with a tangy onion based side sauce that really makes my heart sing.
In this recipe i used a fish known as Sheri in the middle East and changu in East Africa -Feel free to try other fish types local to your area.
Crispy Whole Fried Fish
Ingredients
- 2 small/medium fish
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 3 onions
- 5 cloves garlic; crushed
- 1/2 inch ginger; crushed
- 1/2 cup Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 lemon; juiced
Instructions
- Score both sides of the fish (this gives you extra crispy bits)
- Add cooking oil into a large pan (i use a non stick pan)
- Heat the oil and add your whole fish
- Fry for 4 min then gently turn the fish over
- Cook the other side for 4 min as well
- If you have a metal rack, place the fish on it to drain off any excess oil.
For the sauce:
- In a separate non stick pan, add the onions and sauté for 8 min on medium flame
- Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a further 2 min – You can add fresh chopped chilly at this point too
- Next, add in the say sauce, tamarind paste and sugar. Cook for 5 min or until mixture starts to bubble away.
- Add the lemon juice and taste it.
Serving suggestion:
- Serve the fried fish with the tangy sauce, coconut rice and a side of fried plantains
Did you try this recipe out?
How did it go? Comment below and if you took a pic, tag me @swahilifood on Instagram and hashtag it #swahilifood.
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