Tandoori Pomfret
Tender, flaky pomfret fish grilled with Indian 'tandoori' spices.
- Cooking time45 mins
Calories134kcal
While this is a recipe for tandoori pomfret, it could just as easily be made with any fish with not too many bones, or even with boneless fillets. It is adapted from the legendary Jiggs Kalra's Prashad cookbook. The recipe is quite quick and easy, with a few optional steps that take can take it closer to that restaurant taste. If you are short on time, you can skip those steps and still get a great-tasting fish kabab that is perfect for making in large batches to entertain friends and family. We are cooking the fish tandoori in the oven, but it can also be made on a heavy skillet on the stovetop, or on an outdoor gas or charcoal grill. Do give this a try!
Frequently Asked Questions
Ingredients
Serves
8 small pomfret
- 550 g pomfret
- 8 g ginger
- 8 g garlic
- 2 g white pepper
- 10 g salt
- 4 g kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 g turmeric
- 4 g cumin powder
- 2 g jowan (carom seeds)
- 25 g hung yoghurt
- 20 g cream
- 1 egg yolk
- 10 g chhatu (roasted gram flour)
- 10 ml lime juice
- 1 tbsp chilli oil (infuse 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder in 5 tbsp lukewarm mustard oil, then strain)
Method
- Make evenly spaced incisions across the body of the fish.
- Prepare the marinade by mixing together ginger paste, garlic paste, crushed white pepper, salt, kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder, lightly crushed jowan, yoghurt, cream, lime juice, egg yolk, chhatu and chilli oil.
- Apply the marinade all over the fish, making sure to insert it into the incisions as well as the stomach cavity.
- Arrange the fish in a dish or bowl. Place a small metallic bowl (or a makeshift bowl fashioned from aluminium foil) at the centre.
- Burn a piece of charcoal over fire, and when it develops a layer of ash on the outside, place it inside the small bowl. Top it with ghee and cover immediately to allow the flavour of the charcoal to infuse through the fish.
- After 15 minutes, remove the charcoal. Place the fish on a greased oven grill, and bake at 230°C (or at the highest temperature your oven will go) for 5 minutes.
- Take it out of the oven and brush with melted butter.
- Flip the fish, apply melted butter to the second side as well, and bake again until done.
