Fish Fry Recipe | Crispy Fried Fish with Tilapia

Fish Fry is a spicy, crunchy, and flavorful finger food recipe prepared using your choice of fish with aromatic spices and flour.

Recipe card

Fish Fry | Crispy Fried Fish Recipe with Tilapia

Kushi

Fish Fry is a spicy, crunchy, and flavorful finger food recipe prepared using your choice of fish with aromatic spices and flour.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Finger Food

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Calories 137 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Pan

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 Tilapia fillets
• ▢ ½ Onion
• ▢ 2 Garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 inch Ginger
• ▢ 1 Green chilie
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Red chile powder Cayenne powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ▢ Asafoetida Hing a pinch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds optional
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Crushed curry leaves optional
• ▢ Garam masala powder optional
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ Rice flour for coating approx ½ cup
• ▢ Oil for frying

Instructions

 

Make the fish fry masala mix and marinate

• Cut the tilapia into bite-size pieces or of desired size. (If using small fish like silverfish or croaker, you don't have to cut them).
  3 Tilapia fillets
• Grind onion, garlic, ginger, and green chile with little or no water to form a thick, smooth paste.
  ½ Onion, 2 Garlic cloves, 1 inch Ginger, 1 Green chilie
• Transfer this paste to a bowl, and add the red chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida / hing, cumin seeds, curry leaves, garam masala powder, and salt to taste and mix well. Taste the masala and adjust any spices now.
  1 teaspoon Red chile powder, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder, Asafoetida, ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon Crushed curry leaves, Garam masala powder, Salt
• Add the fish and toss it to coat it well with the mixture. Set it aside for 15 minutes.

How to fry fish?

• Heat oil in a pan for frying.
  Oil
• Take rice flour in a bowl. Coat each marinated fish piece in rice flour and drop them in oil. Do not overcrowd the pan.
  Rice flour
• Fry the fish on both sides on medium to medium-high flame until crisp.
• Transfer these fries onto paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Repeat the process for the remaining fish.
• Serve hot and enjoy. Just before eating, drizzle lemon juice if desired.

Notes

• If rice flour is unavailable, all-purpose flour can be used to coat the fish, but the fish fry will not be as crisp as the one prepared using rice flour.
• Vary the spices as per your taste. 
• See that the oil is not too hot or too cold. If it's too hot, the fries will turn dark brown very quickly, and if it's too cold, it will absorb excess oil.
• To check if the oil is hot, drop a little piece of the outer coating of the fish fry and check if it sizzles and comes up.

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 26gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 113mgPotassium: 436mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 152IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Mangalorean fish fry

Fish fry is very popular in Mangalore, and it comes in varieties like crispy plain fish fry, rava fish fry, tawa fry, masala fry, etc. Every method has a different taste.

Today's recipe is a simple fish fry made using rice flour. Before frying, the fish filets are marinated in spices and then coated in rice flour. The rice flour makes the exterior of the fries crispy. For authentic flavor, use coconut oil for frying.

Mangaloreans love fish fry served with brown rice ganji (rice porridge or congee). People also enjoy this fried fish on the first day of Diwali night.

Fried fish is also a classic accompaniment for your cocktail or mocktail, Super Bowl game night parties.

Ingredients

Fish: This fish fry is made using tilapia. Use any fish that is fresh for best results.

Spices: For fish marination and coating, use onion, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing, red chile powder, etc., which will enhance the flavor.

Rice flour: This is gluten-free and also will make the exterior crispier.

Oil: For authentic and traditional flavor, use coconut oil. If unavailable, then use neutral oil for frying.

Check out the recipe card for full list of ingredients.

Step-by-step instructions

Make the fish fry masala mix and marinate

• Cut the tilapia into bite-size pieces or of desired size. (If using small fish like silverfish or croaker, you don't have to cut them).
• Grind onion, garlic, ginger, and green chile with little or no water to form a thick, smooth paste. 
• Transfer this paste to a bowl, and add the red chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida / hing, cumin seeds, curry leaves, garam masala powder, and salt to taste and mix well. Taste the masala and adjust any spices now. 
• Add the fish and toss it to coat it well with the mixture. Set it aside for 15 minutes.

How to fry fish?

• Heat oil in a pan for frying.  
• Take rice flour in a bowl. Coat each marinated fish piece in rice flour and drop them in oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. 
• Fry the fish on both sides on medium to medium-high flame until crisp.
• Transfer these fries onto paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Repeat the process for the remaining fish.
•  Serve hot and enjoy. Just before eating, drizzle lemon juice if desired. 

Tips

•  If rice flour is unavailable, all-purpose flour can be used to coat the fish, but the fry will not be as crisp as the one prepared using rice flour.
• Vary the spices as per your taste. 
• See that the oil is not too hot or too cold. If it's too hot, the fries will turn dark brown very quickly, and if it's too cold, it will absorb excess oil.
• To check if the oil is hot, drop a little piece of the outer coating and check if it sizzles and comes up.

Recipe FAQs

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Note: We originally posted this crispy fish fry recipe in March 2016. It has now been modified in Jan 2024 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.