Indian Recipes
Amritsari Fish Fry
We can’t get enough of this Amritsari Fish Fry! The crunchy coating and perfectly soft insides make this a super addictive drinking accompaniment! Plus, the whole dish comes together in the air fryer, so it’s healthier too!
- Serves 3 pieces
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 50 minutes
There’s just something about this crispy Amritsari fish fry, dunked in green chutney and served with a big squeeze of lemon on top! We marinate the fish in a classic chatpata desi masala and coat it with a layer of besan along with some rice flour to give it a gorgeous crust.
Traditionally, Amritsari fish fry is deep-fried. But we’re making this whole dish in the air fryer. Which means you’ll achieve the same crispy, golden-brown results minus the excess oil Truly a recipe you’re gonna want to keep up your sleeve!
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Ingredients Overview
Any boneless river fish will work great here – I have used roopchand, but basa and sea bass also work.
For the marinade, we’ll need our classic desi spice powders along with ginger garlic paste, vinegar, and lemon juice. We also add carom seeds (ajwain) that adds an authentic Amritsari flavour to the whole dish.
We make a besan paste using besan and water. And lastly dust the fish with rice flour to make it super crispy (don’t skip this)!
You will find this fish fry all over Amritsar as a popular snack – and now you can enjoy it nice and hot right at home!
Frequently Asked Questions
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A chilled glass of beer and this Amritsari macchi is everything you need for a perfect evening. And making this in the air-fryer means this dish comes together STAT! Oh, and these disappear real quick!
Give it a try and let me know how you liked this recipe. If you make this dish, don’t forget to send me your recreations over my Instagram @my_foodstory.
If you liked this recipe, also check out my Rava Pomfret Fish Fry and other Seafood Recipes.
This article was written and researched by Navya Khetarpal.
The recipe
Amritsari Fish Fry
This is healthier version of the crunchy, chatpata Amritsari Fish Fry that's made entirely in the Air Fryer. Quick, easy, and super delicious – just like the deep fried version!
- Serves 3 pieces
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 250 grams Roopchand fish fillet
- 3 tablespoons besan (gram flour)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon roasted kasuri methi
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
For dusting
- 2 tablespoons rice flour
- Cooking oil for deep frying or brushing
Method
Fish marination:
- 1
Take all ingredients mentioned for marination in a bowl, mix them well & let the marinade rest for 30 minutes.
- 2
Take besan and water and mix well to make a thick paste. Add this to the marinated fish & combine them till they are coated well.
- 3
Take rice flour on a plate, roll the marinated fish in the flour and make sure it’s uniformly dusted on both sides. Arrange all the dusted fish on a plate for frying.
For deep frying:
- 4
Heat 1 ½ inches of oil in a deep kadai or pan and add dusted fish to medium hot oil one by one so they do not stick to each other. Do not crowd the pan as the fish has to cook uniformly.
- 5
Fry them on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, turning once till they are fried light golden. Take them out on a plate and set aside.
- 6
In the same way, fry the rest of the fish in batches and serve.
For Airfyer:
- 7
Preheat the airfryer to 180C. Place the baking paper in the basket, brush it with oil and place fish in the basket.
- 8
Brush fish with oil and air fry for 10 minutes at 180C flipping every 3 minutes.
- 9
Airfry for one minute on either side at 200C for fish to get golden brown.
For shallow frying:
- 10
Heat 1/3rd cup of oil in a pan and dusted fish to medium hot oil one by one.
- 11
Shallow fry for 4 minutes on each side till it turns crispy and golden brown
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Nutrition
- Calories 98 kcal
- Carbohydrates 9 g
- Protein 12 g
- Fat 2 g
- Saturated Fat 0.1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g
- Sodium 161 mg
- Potassium 80 mg
- Fiber 1 g
- Sugar 1 g
- Vitamin A 192 IU
- Vitamin C 1 mg
- Calcium 137 mg
- Iron 1 mg
Common questions
What fish makes the best fish fry?
Any boneless river fish will work best – preferably a firm white fish like Roopchand, basa, sea bass, etc. Amritsar is known for their fresh-water fish and that was how this dish came to be as well.
Can I make this with chicken or paneer?
Yes! Although using chicken will increase the cook time. So make sure to keep an on eye on the chicken and cook until it’s fully cooked through.
Can I shallow fry the fish?
You absolutely can! The best part about this recipe is that it is super versatile to cook. I’ve included the instructions for shallow frying, deep-frying and air-frying the fish in the recipe card.
