Amritsari Fish Pakora Recipe

Fish Pakora made Amritsari Style. This delicious crispy fish fry is also known as Amritsari fish or Amritsar fish fry is a popular snack in Amritsar, Punjab which is also famous for its Chole & Aloo Kulcha. Delicate pieces of fish is coated in a spicy gram flour coating with spices and carom seeds and fried till crispy. Learn how to make crispy Amritsar fish pakora with step by step pictures with tips and tricks to get crunchy pakora coating.

Amritsari Fish Pakora

During our last trip to Amritsar, this is a popular dish and we ordered Amritsari fish fry quite a few times as well. We loved it so much and I wanted to recreate it at home. Finally I tried it few days back and it turned out perfect. This pakora is so easy to make, you just few ingredients to put together and finally you get a plate of crispy crunchy fish pakoras. The main flavouring for this pakoras are ajwain seeds also known as carom seeds and the final touch of chaat masala powder.

About Fish Pakora (Amritsari Fish Fry)

Amritsari Fish is a lightly battered fish fry seasoned with Indian spices, ginger and garlic paste, and gram flour. It's crunchy and refreshing to eat. It works well as an appetiser. According to legend, fish pakora originated in Mughal kitchens during the reign of Emperor Akbar. This Amritsari fish is very different from my masala fish fry which is a pan fried fish from South India.

The dish cannot be prepared with fresh or saltwater fish from the sea. It is critical to use Sole fish or Singhara to achieve the flavour and texture found in the authentic dish.

It is easy to make this dish, all you need is some flaky white fish, marinate it with spices, lemon and ginger garlic paste. Just before frying coat them with gram flour, rice flour and cornstarch to get the crispy coating. Sprinkle with chaat masala once it comes out from the oil and serve with green chutney or mayonnaise.

To get the crispy outer texture in a fish, coat them with the right flour. Mix of gram flour, cornstarch and rice flour will give you the perfect crunchy texture.

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Amritsari Fish Ingredients

Fish - For this recipe, use boneless white fleshed fish which is flaky. Salmon, pollack, basa can be used. Make sure the fish is boneless for easy eating and pat it dry before adding marination for more flavour absorption.

Ginger & Garlic - this adds aroma and flavour to the fish.

Ajwain seeds - this is one of the most important flavour in this Amritsari fish. once fried it adds a smoky earthy flavour to pakoras.

Kashmiri Chilli Powder - This chilli has a slightly smoky flavour. This powder is used in Indian cooking to add colour to dishes that don't require a lot of heat.

Curd - makes the fish juicy and also helps with the binding.

Vinegar - Vinegar or lemon juice acidity or sourness enhances the flavour of the fish and adds balance to a rich dish. It also helps remove the fishy smell.

Gram flour - one of the main ingredient helps with the binding and adds flavour. This creates a thick coating over the dish which makes it moist and juicy.

Cornflour & Rice Flour - this helps absorb moisture from the frying which also means a crispier coating.

Chat masala - sprinkle this generously over the fried fish as soon as it comes out of the fryer. Adds a pungent and finger licking taste to the pakora.

Tips & Tricks for Making Amritsari Fish Even Better

Choosing Fish : picking the correct fish type is most important. use firm white fleshed fish. Make sure it is boneless, clean it well and pat it dry. Basa, salmon, king fish and pollock are best choice. I like to remove the skins from the fish since it makes the pakora soggy.

Spices to use - combo of kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric is main. Kashmiri variety adds colour without making it spicy. You can also use some amchoor powder, roasted cumin powder and a little garam masala powder.

Balancing Flavours - using curd, lemon juice or vinegar makes the dish fresh and tangy.

Creating Crispy pakora - gram flour, cornstarch and rice flour gives the crispy coating for the fish. This creates a thick coating over the dish which makes it moist and juicy.

Serving Suggestions - serve Amritsari fish fry immediately with green chutney or mayonnaise.

How to Make Amritsari Fish (Stepwise pictures)

Marinating Fish

1)Use boneless white fleshed fish which is flaky. Salmon, pollack, basa can be used. Make sure the fish is boneless for easy eating and pat it dry before adding marination for more flavour absorption.

2)Sprinkle salt all over the fish.

3)Add in ginger garlic paste. This is my freshly ground ginger garlic which adds so much flavour. Check my homemade ginger garlic paste recipe.

4)Add in your spice powders. I am using a mix of kashmiri chilli powder and regular chilli powder because I like my food spicy. but you can add only kashmiri chilli powder alone. Add in turmeric powder as well. Don't add too much else it may over power.

5)Add in ajwain seeds. It is also known as carom seeds and in tamil "omam". Add very little else it may over power the entire fish.

Pro Tip: This is one of the most important flavour, so don't skip that.

6)Add in vinegar or lemon juice. You can add any one of the both. This adds freshness to the fish and also removes the fishy smell from it once fried.

Crispy Coating for Amritsari Fish

7)Add in gram flour. This helps with the binding.

8)Now for the crispy coating, add in cornstarch and rice flour. If you don't have cornstarch you can skip that and add more rice flour.

9)Add in few spoon of curd. Thick curd is best.

10)Mix the fish with all the ingredients carefully. Don't over mix these, else the fish may break and fall apart. Set this aside for 5 minutes so we can heat up some oil.

Frying Amritsari Fish

11)Drop the fish in hot oil one by one and fry them on medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes till it gets crispy. Make sure you fry them on medium high heat, too hot oil can burn the outer coating of the fish.

12)Now the fish is almost fried and looking crispy. Use a slotted spoon to strain the fish from the oil.

Serving Amritsari Fish Fry

13)Place the crispy fried fish on some paper towel to remove the excess oil.

14)Sprinkle the top with chaat masala. This step is optional but it adds so much flavour and taste to the fried fish.

15)Serve immediately piping hot with some green chutney or mayonnaise.

Expert Tips

• For this recipe, use boneless white fleshed fish which is flaky. Salmon, pollack, basa can be used. 
• Fish pakora is best when served hot. So marinate the fish in advance and fry fresh every time.
• If you are planning to fry the fish later, skip adding all the flour into the fish. Add it just before frying and mix.
• Fish pakora taste best when served hot with some green chutney. 

FAQ

Why is Amritsari fish famous?

Like all deep fried food. Amritsari fish is a popular street food in punjab. It has a crispy exterior which taste so moist and flavourful with all spices and chat masala added. It is one of the most preferred appetizer in Amritsar region.

Which fish is good for fish pakora?

For this recipe, use boneless white fleshed fish which is flaky. Salmon, pollack, basa can be used. Make sure the fish is boneless for easy eating and pat it dry before adding marination for more flavour absorption.

How many calories are in Amritsari fish fry?

Single serving (one piece) of fish fry contains roughly around 120 calories.

What is Amritsari fish made of?

Amritsari Fish is a lightly battered fish fry seasoned with Indian spices, ginger and garlic paste, and gram flour. It's crunchy and refreshing to eat. It works well as an appetiser.

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