Karimeen Fry

Name: Karimeen Fry
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 23 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Kerala)
Ingredients: Karimeen, whole, cleaned: 2 (300 g each); Red chilli powder: 2 tsp; Black pepper, coarsely ground: 1½ tsp; Turmeric: ½ tsp; Ginger paste: 1 tsp; Garlic paste: 1 tsp; Lemon juice: 1 tbsp; Salt: 1¼ tsp; Coconut oil: 5 tbsp (for frying); Rice flour: 1 tbsp (for coating); Rice flour in the marinade creates a light crust without batter.; Karimeen is a flat fish; it fries fast — watch for the colour change to avoid overcooking.; A cast-iron tawa retains heat better than non-stick for this recipe.; Serve with sliced raw onion, lemon wedge, and kachiya moru (tempered buttermilk).

🍗 Non-veg📊 Easy

Whole pearl spot fish, deeply scored and rubbed with a fierce red chilli-pepper-turmeric paste, then shallow-fried in coconut oil to a crackling, spiced crust while staying moist inside.

⏱️20 minPrep

🔥3 minCook

🕒23 minTotal

🍽️1Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Karimeen Fry

Make 4 deep diagonal cuts per side.
Mix all spices, pastes, lemon juice, salt, and rice flour into a paste.
Rub into cuts and all over; marinate 20 min minimum.
Heat coconut oil in a flat tawa until hot.
Slide in fish.
Cook undisturbed 4–5 min until the bottom is deep mahogany and releases cleanly.
Flip; cook other side 4–5 min.
Skin should be crisp and charred at the edges.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 390 kcal | 44 g | 5 g | 20 g | 1 g | Karimeen fry is the simpler, everyday cousin of Karimeen Pollichathu. In the backwater islands of Kuttanad, it is the standard dinner for families who catch pearl spot in the morning. The fish is prized for its sweet, mild flesh and is listed as a protected species in some backwater zones, making sustainability an ongoing concern for Kerala's fishing communities. ---

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