How to make Bengali maach bhaja, fish fry! Fish is pretty much a staple in Bengali homes, cooked in curries or simply fried with spices it always taste great. Here is a simple recipe where fish steaks are fried and then delicately cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices. It’s a yummy dish and goes perfectly with steamed white rice.

The best thing about fish is how quickly it cooks, making a fish dish is ideal when you want to save time and need a quick dish to serve up. It takes minimal effort and you will have a great tasting dish ready in no time!

Growing up we always had fish dishes at my parents home like many Bengali homes. My dad loves fish and that’s all he really prefers when it comes to lunch or dinner. Mom makes delicious maach bhaja, fried fish. It’s one of her popular dishes when friends and family come over. Moms maach bhaja, fried fish is mouth watering and a must try recipe for sure. I learned to make this recipe from her and it’s pretty much easy peasy!

For this Bengali maach bhaja recipe I will be using Mrigal fish (Cirrhinus cirrhosus), also known as mirka maach. A Bangladeshi fresh water fish which can be found easily in Bengali stores and comes frozen. You can also use this recipe for any other type of fish too. I use fish steak pieces skin on and bone in. These pieces are cut into half where I only use the longer pieces of fish cut off from the top. Whole fish steak pieces can also be used, whichever you prefer. You can see this in the pics and your fish monger will also cut your fish as requested.

Some tips on how to make Bengali maach bhaja, fish fry

The first important thing to do is marinate the fish with salt and turmeric to remove any fishy smell, this helps to also clean the fish.

When frying the fish make sure to use a heavy bottom pan/skillet. Heat up the pan before adding in the oil. Make sure to also heat up the oil before adding in the fish. Following these simple steps will help the fish from sticking to the pan and give you perfectly fried fish.

Also in the second process where the fish is cooked in a mix of spices with onions and tomatoes make sure to cook the spices for at least 2 to 3 minutes before adding in the fish. Cooking the spices help to remove the raw taste you get from spices. You can tell when your spices are cooked as you will see some of the oil floating around the surface.

Last tip, don’t forget to use fresh cilantro to garnish the maach bhaja. Fresh cilantro really brings out all the good taste and is a must in cooking fish Bengali style!

Maach bhaja fish fry

Recipe by Shema Course: MainCuisine: BangladeshiDifficulty: Easy

6-8

pieces

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

How To Make Bengali Maach Bhaja, Fish Fry

Ingredients

• Mrigal fish or any other type of fish, 6-8 pieces
  

• To clean fish
  

• 1 teaspoon of salt
  

• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
  

• Cold water just enough to cover the fish

• To marinate fish for frying

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  

• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric power
  

• 3-4 tablespoons of oil to fry the fish

• 
  Fish masala
  

• 1/4 cup of cooking oil

• 1-2 medium sized onions thinly sliced
  

• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
  

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  

• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
  

• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
  

• 1 teaspoon of coriander powder
  

• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
  

• 1 medium tomato thinly sliced
  

• 2-3 green chilies cut along the length
  

• A handful of fresh cilantro finely chopped
  

Directions

• Clean fish by taking off the scales and rinse under cold water
• Add in salt and turmeric powder, mix in well
• Add in just in enough water to cover the fish, let that sit for 5 minutes
• Rinse fish with clean water, drain the water and pat dry
• To fry fish
• In a bowl add in the fish with the salt and turmeric powder , mix well
• Heat up a heavy bottom pan/skillet
• Add in the oil, heat the oil on a medium high flame
• Add in the fish pieces, lower the flame/heat when doing this
• Fry the fish on a medium high flame for 3-4 minutes, turn them over gently using a spatula and spoon and fry for another 3-4 minutes
• Take them out of the pan and transfer onto a plate
• To make the fish masala
• In the same pan add in additional 1/4 cup of oil
• Add in the onions, minced garlic and salt, mix well and cook on a medium high flame until golden brown
• Add in the spices one by one, mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes until some of the oil starts to come to the surface
• Add in 1/4 cup of hot water and mix well
• Add in the fried fish pieces, coat them in the cooked masala
• Add in the tomatoes and gently stir
• Cook everything on a medium flame for another 6-8 minutes, gently turning the fish pieces over once in between
• Add in the green chilies and cilantro, gently stir
• Take the pan off the heat and serve hot with steamed white rice
• Enjoy!

Notes

• Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.