• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • ABOUT

Swasthi's Recipes

Home >> Recipes >> Seafood

Amritsari fish recipe | Tawa fish fry

By swasthi , on May 24, 2019, 25 Comments, Jump to Recipe

Amritsari fish is a popular Indian street food and restaurant style fish appetizer. It is a simple dish yet tastes amazing with bursting flavors that comes from the unique combo of spices and herbs used. As the name says this appetizer is popular in the streets of Amritsar.

amritsari fish made in tawa fish fry recipe

To make the dish, fresh water fish is marinated with the basic aromatic spices and gram flour. Then the fish pieces are deep fried until golden and crisp.

Advertisement

In this post I have shared 2 ways to make this dish. The first one is the deep fried method and the second one is pan fried/ tawa fish fry.

However if you want the authentic Amritsari fish then deep fry these.

Since fresh water fish is not available to me, I have used salmon. You can use any variety of your choice. My personal choice is to go with the kind that has lesser bones.

If you make a tawa fry you can make this ahead and refrigerate it to absorb all the flavors. Salmon tastes very bland even after marinating for very long hours and doesn’t absorb the flavors well like other fishes.

Marinate the fish for at least 10 mins, fry and serve right away hot.

Tips to make Amritsari fish

  • Spices: The street style version of this dish is loaded with chilli powder or red color. For a brighter color, use more kashmiri red chilli powder as needed to suit your taste.
  • Flour: Gram flour is the key ingredient that imparts a nutty aroma to the Amritsari fish. There is no substitute to this. However you can add a small amount of rice flour to make it crispy.
  • Curd (yogurt): Usually curd, Indian yogurt is used as a binding ingredient. It helps to bind all of the marination ingredients with the fish. However my personal choice is to use water instead of curd as I feel it makes the fish slightly softer.

Method 1 – make deep fried amritsari fish fry

1. Rinse the fish and drain completely. To a mixing bowl, add ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric, kasuri methi, ajwain, red chilli powder, lemon juice, garam masala, besan and amchur powder. Mix all the ingredients along with 2 tablespoons curd or water. Marinate the fish for 10 minutes.

marinated fillet with spices to make amritsari fish fry

2. On a medium flame, heat oil in a pan. When the oil turns hot, test by dropping a small portion of the masala to the hot oil. It has to rise without browning. This is the right temperature. Gently slide the fish pieces and fry flipping as needed. When they become golden & crisp. Remove to a plate.

deep frying marinated fillets to make amritsari fish fry

Method 2 – make tawa fish fry

1. For this method we have to roast the besan first otherwise it will leave a raw smell to the finished dish. On a medium heat, roast besan in a small pan till it begins to smell good & aromatic. Do not over fry or brown it. Set this aside.

2. Marinate fish with ginger garlic paste, salt, garam masala powder, amchur, lemon juice, chilli powder, kasuri methi, & turmeric.

marination ingredients to make amritsari fish fry

3. Heat a wide pan, add 2 tablespoons oil to it. When the oil turns hot, add ajwain. When they sizzle, gently place the fish pieces and fry it for about five minutes on each side.

sauteing carom seeds to make amritsari tawa fish fry

4. When the fish is almost cooked, sprinkle besan evenly on only one side and fry without burning. I add my flour to a sieve and shake off as it prevents lumps.

addition of besan to make tawa fish fry
Advertisement

5. Flip the pieces and continue to fry till cooked & aromatic. Taste test and sprinkle more salt. Serve amritsari tawa fish fry as a side.

flipping roasting fillets on pan to make amritsari tawa fish fry

More fish recipes,
apollo fish fry
fish tikka
andhra chepa fry
baked fish Indian style

Advertisement
amritsari tawa fish fry recipe

Amritsari fish

Amritsari fish is a popular North Indian appetizer made with fish, gram flour and spices. I have shared this recipe with 2 options. The first one is to deep fry and the second one is to pan fry.
Pin Recipe Print Recipe

For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings2
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

  • 300 grams fish (salmon or any fresh water fish)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • ¼ teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
  • ⅓ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon kasuri methi (crushed)(dried fenugreek leaves)
  • ¾ teaspoon garam masala (or tandoori masala)
  • ½ teaspoon amchur powder (dried mango powder) Or chaat masala
  • 2 tablespoons curd or water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons besan (gram flour, preferably coarse)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 tablespoons oil (or ¼ to ½ cup for method 2)
Advertisement

Instructions

Method 1- deep fry

  • Rinse the fish well and pat dry.
  • To a mixing bowl, add gram flour, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, amchur, kasuri methi, ajwain, ginger garlic paste & lemon juice.
  • Mix all of them well. Taste test & add more salt and red chilli powder if needed.
  • Transfer the fish pieces and add 2 tablespoons curd or water. Coat the fish well with all of these.
  • If it is too dry, you may sprinkle some water. All of the fish pieces should be coated well with the masala.
  • Pour ¼ to ½ cup oil and heat it. When the oil turns hot, test by dropping a small portion of the masala to the oil.
  • It has to rise with out browning a lot. This is the right temperature. Gently slide the fish pieces into the oil.
  • Deep fry them until crisp and golden. You will begin to smell it good when the fish is done.
  • Serve Amritsari fish hot as a side or appetizer.

Method 2- pan/ tawa fish fry

  • Dry roast besan on a medium flame for few mins till you get a nice roasted aroma. This is done to remove the raw smell from the besan. Do not darken the flour.
  • Set this aside to cool.
  • Rinse fish and cut to desired sizes. Drain the water completely.
  • To a mixing bowl, add ginger garlic, red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt, amchur, kasuri methi & lemon juice. Taste test and add more salt if needed.
  • Add the fish to this and marinate well. If the fish looks too dry then sprinkle some water. I don't use curd for pan frying. Set aside for 10 mins.
  • Heat a wide pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Add ajwain.
  • When they begin to splutter, place the fish pieces one by one and fry them on a medium flame for 4 mins.
  • Flip the pieces and let them fry for another 5 mins.
  • Sprinkle 2 tablespoons besan evenly all over on one side and continue to fry without burning. To avoid lumps I sieve the flour directly on the fish.
  • Flip the pieces and fry again. The flour that we sprinkle on one side will be enough for both the sides. If needed can increase the flame slightly and fry on both sides till cooked.
  • When it is done you will begin to smell the whole thing good. Serve tawa fish hot as a starter or as a side dish.
Advertisement

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Amritsari fish
Amount Per Serving
Calories 328 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 75mg25%
Sodium 486mg21%
Potassium 548mg16%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 33g66%
Vitamin A 222IU4%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

WhatsApp
Share38
Pin2K
Reddit
Tweet
Email
2K Shares
FOR MORE RECIPES

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.


Amritsari fish recipe |  Tawa fish fry
WhatsApp
Share38
Pin2K
Reddit
Tweet
Email
2K Shares

Related Posts

Advertisement

FEATURED RECIPES

Breakfast Recipes

Upma recipe (r…

upma recipe

Cake Recipes

Banana cake re…

banana cake recipe

Breakfast Recipes

Aloo paratha r…

aloo paratha

vegetarian

Paneer recipes…

paneer recipes

Dal Recipes

Dal makhani (S…

dal makhani recipe

Rice Recipes

Veg biryani re…

veg biryani

Advertisement

POPULAR RECIPES

Idli recipe (S…

soft idli

Samosa recipe …

samosa

Pav bhaji reci…

pav bhaji

Eggless chocol…

eggless chocolate cake

Palak paneer r…

palak paneer

Rajma recipe |…

rajma

Advertisement

Paneer butter …

paneer butter masala

Kadai paneer r…

kadai paneer

Paneer tikka r…

paneer tikka

Advertisement

About swasthi

I’m Swasthi shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthis recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
Read more..

Reader Interactions

Share Your Comments & Feedback: Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Advertisement
  2. Sabrina says

    November 25, 2020

    I like it easy to follow

    Reply
  3. Sanjay Mukherjee says

    August 22, 2019

    I have prepare the whole fish way you describe.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 22, 2019

      Hope you enjoyed the fish!

      Reply
  4. Anu Dutt says

    December 2, 2018

    Thank you so much for your amazing receipes. I have followed them a no. of times. They have turned out very well. Keep up this great job.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 5, 2018

      Welcome Anu
      So glad to know the recipes have turned out good. Thanks for the comment.
      🙂

      Reply
  5. PARBODH Chopra says

    November 2, 2017

    5 stars
    Very useful

    Reply
  6. nelson says

    August 29, 2017

    5 stars
    i like the style you cook your fish

    Reply
  7. Didina Gnagnide Angorinie says

    August 3, 2017

    5 stars
    Very good recipe, all of my family approved, I will definitely cook it again. Thank you Swasthi.

    Reply
  8. Advertisement
  9. s.chakraborty says

    December 2, 2016

    5 stars
    Loved your amritsari fish recipe. Followed it to the t, though increased the amount. Everyone was bowled over, even my would- be in – laws. So thanks a ton. I have replicated a no.of recipes of yours and they’ve all been huge hits. Can trust you cooking advice and instructions blindly. So thanks again.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 17, 2016

      Welcome. Thanks for trying.So glad to know it turned out good

      Reply
  10. Rajinder Dhillon says

    September 15, 2016

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipies….?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 18, 2016

      Thank you

      Reply
  11. prachi says

    April 2, 2016

    Hi Swasthi

    Is the fish used here boneless or with bones

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      April 2, 2016

      Hi Prachi,
      You can use any kind of fish. with or without bones

      Reply
  12. Sunita says

    March 7, 2015

    Hi, I tried out the tava fried Amritsari fish today. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      March 7, 2015

      Welcome Sunita,
      im glad you liked it
      🙂

      Reply
  13. pabandas says

    January 16, 2015

    so nice.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      January 17, 2015

      Thank you

      Reply
  14. Advertisement
  15. Ana says

    August 11, 2014

    Looks good

    Reply
  16. Vimitha Anand says

    January 8, 2014

    Thats a nice fry… will try it soon

    Reply
  17. Sanoli Ghosh says

    January 8, 2014

    Lipsmacking good amritsari fish fry……yummilicious!

    Reply
  18. Preeti Tamilarasan says

    January 8, 2014

    i like this fish fry swasthi.. the presentation makes it more tempting..

    Reply
  19. Premalatha Aravindhan says

    January 6, 2014

    Really delicious and fantastic recipe,yum!!!

    Reply
  20. Advertisement
  21. Ramya Krishnamurthy says

    January 6, 2014

    Yummy fry sis

    Reply
  22. Navaneetham Krishnan says

    January 6, 2014

    Oh Oh!!! Looks so good. I shall try. My other half eats nothing much except fish all the time. I can find salmon over here and I shall make it. Quite a simple recipe too.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Advertisement

DIWALI RECIPES

JALEBI RECIPE
RASGULLA RECIPE
RASMALAI RECIPE
GULAB JAMUN
BESAN LADOO
KAJU KATLI
RAVA LADDU
Advertisement

CATEGORIES

DINNER RECIPES
SANDWICH RECIPES
BREAKFAST RECIPES
RICE RECIPES
CHUTNEY RECIPES
SNACKS RECIPES
SWEETS RECIPES

Follow me on social media

Facebook

Like

Instagram

Follow

Pinterest

Follow

Twitter

Follow
Advertisement

HEALTH CORNER

RAGI RECIPES
OATS RECIPES
MILLET RECIPES

Advertisement
Advertisement

© 2012 - 2020 - Swasthi's Recipes. The content is copyrighted to SWASTHI'S and may not be reproduced in any form.