Meen Varuthathu Recipe
Meen Varuthathu 
Fish Fry Kerala Style
Submitted By: Taz

Ingredients:

1 lb Skin-on/Boneless Fish Steaks* (Machli / Matsyaṁ)
Coconut Oil (Nariyal ka Tel / Velichenna) for shallow frying

Marinade/Coating:
3-6 Fresh Curry Leaves (Kaddi Patta / Kariveppila)
2 cloves Fresh Garlic (Leh-sun / Vellulli) - smashed
1 inch piece Fresh Ginger (Adrak / Inchi) - rough chopped
1 Tbs Kashmiri Chile Powder (Kashmiri Mirchi / Kashmiri Mulakupodi) 
2 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi / Manjalpodi)
1 tsp Coriander Seed (Dhania Saabut / Malli)
1 tsp Fenugreek Seed ( Methi Dana / Venthiam)
1 tsp Kosher Salt (Namak / Uppu) or to taste
½ tsp Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch / Kurumulagu)
Juice of ½ Lemon (Nimbu Ras / Nāraṅṅa Nīr)

Preparation:
  1. Wash your fish thoroughly, pat dry, and place in a medium nonreactive bowl
  2. Place all of the 'marinade/coating' ingredients in the work bowl of a blender or small food processor and purée into a smooth, thick paste (think tomato paste) - NOTE: Add additional lemon juice or water if necessary to achieve desired consistency 
  3. Add the marinade/coating paste to the fish pieces and gently massage into the pieces to thoroughly coat on all sides
  4. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours
  5. Heat ½ - 1 inch of the coconut oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan or skillet over medium/medium-low heat until a pinch of flour sizzles (350-360ºF) 
  6. Once oil is hot, place the marinated fish in the oil and allow to fry for 3-4 minutes to a side or until crispy on the outside and the fish flakes easily
  7. Transfer to absorbent paper and allow to drain for 2-minutes
  8. Serve hot with some lemon/lime wedges, some fresh red onion, Indian flatbread or steamed rice, and/or chutney(s) of choice
* Truly any type of fish works(pomfret, king fish, seer fish, and salmon are commonly used) and I
   recommend tilapia, cod, bass, haddock, halibut, snapper, or even trout - all work well

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