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Kothmiratil Macchi - Indian coriander fried fish

Dorothy Porker
These salty, earthy, umami-loaded fried anchovies are the tiny flavor bombs you deserve after the work you've put in to make them.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Party snack, Side dish, Snack
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Sharp knife
  • Food processor
  • Large skillet or frying pan
  • Paper towels

Ingredients
  

  • 15 oz - 500 gr whitebait or anchovies
  • 1 t - 5 gr ground turmeric
  • 1 t - 5 ml lime juice
  • 1 t - 5 gr sugar
  • 1 t - 5 ml water
  • big bunch coriander coarsely chopped
  • 2-4 green bird's eye chilies seeds and white pith removed
  • 1" - 2 cm piece of ginger peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
  • 5 oz - 150 gr rice flour
  • sunflower oil for shallow frying
  • salt
  • 2 limes cut into wedges

Instructions
 

  • Clean the fish. You can do this by gently twisting the head right behind the gills and then pulling gently up and back, before pushing the innards out with your thumb and gently pulling out the spine, as shown in the video below.
  • Once the fish is cleaned, use a sharp knife to score the fish ever so gently on both sides.
  • Mix together 1 t - 5 gr of turmeric, 1 t - 5 gr of sugar, 1 t - 5 gr of lime juice and 1 t - 5 gr of water to make a paste. Gently rub the paste into the fish and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Note: if you exceed this time the lime will cook the fish.
  • In the meantime, make a spice paste by mixing together a bunch of coriander, 4 green bird's eye chilies, 1" - 2 cm's of peeled ginger and 4 garlic cloves in a food processor. You can add a few tablespoons of water to get it to smooth out a little further.
  • Spread the coriander-paste evenly over the fish and let sit for another 15 minutes.
  • Preheat your oil for shallow-frying in a large skillet or frying pan.
  • Gently coat the fish in rice flour and fry in batches until crisp. Depending on the size of your fish this should take 5-10 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels and finish off with a nice helping of salt. Serve with lime wedges for added oomph.

Notes

Once fried this fish will keep for 1 day in the fridge and can be reheated in a hot oven at roughly 350° F/ 175° C in 10-15 minutes.
Keyword anchovies, cookbook recipe, fish, indian recipe, pushpesh pant, seafood, white bait