Ghol/ Croaker Fish Fry.

"Ghol/ Croaker Fish Fry" ... the black-spotted croaker, locally called Ghol, also known as Sea Gold fish has been put into the bracket of the most expensive fish in India after the latest study on its medicinal properties ... the flaky flesh within is truly delicious being high in protein and other nutrients ... Yummilicious ...

** All fish lovers who have browsed through my blog to check out the recipe for fries must have found out that they are all prepared in the same traditional way. Well, before you begin to wonder why? I would like to write that somehow this simple application of only spice to the fish and simple dusting and frying appeals to me as in this method the fish rules in taste while often I have noted that while we add ginger garlic etc. the fish aroma is reduced which somehow does not appeal much to me. Not that I don’t like those them, I do, and have often prepared with addition of green masala, wet masala etc. but in my home these fries are something we love the most, simple yet aromatic and tasty.

** The masala, its application or the frying method as I already mentioned are same as before without any changes. However, Ghol/ Croaker fish is something I hardly buy, in fact till recently I had not even tasted it. It was only on my fish vendors insistence that it was fresh and tasty that I bought it. She also assured me that there are no thorns, not that I mind it, but to my dismay I found that this is a costly fish for sure. A small cut of 6x4 inches of fish cost me around 300 bucks which is really a huge amount. Well, I fried it exactly the same way as I prepare surmari/ visonu etc. But here I must mention that true to her word this fish was worth every penny as it turned out very tasty with a flaky texture fish within.

** Here is my method of preparing "Ghol/ Croaker Fish Fry" … My Style …

** Wash and pat dry the Ghol/ Croaker fish pieces well. I used about 1.5 inches by 3 inch pieces in size. Make a mixture of little bit of Kashmiri Red Chilly powder/ little bit of tamarind paste or Vingegar (I use Vinegar), salt (namak/ meeta) to taste, a pinch of hing (asafoetida) powder and a pinch of haldi (turmeric) powder (Optional). Mix it well to a thick paste sprinkling little bit of water to bring to thick applying paste consistency.

** Apply this paste to each of the fish pieces evenly all round and leave to marinate for some time preferably in fridge, say for at least 2-3 hours or overnight. However, if you are storing for more than the mentioned time then you can put it in an airtight container and store it in the freezer and remove it a few hours before the frying process to thaw it well. Remains good for a week, so you can prepare the same before hand too.

** Make a mixture of fine rava (chiroti rava) and rice (tandul) flour in the ratio of 1:1, to this add little bit of salt and red chilly powder and toss well. This is the mixture I prepare for all fish fry coating and it works out well for me. I prepare it in bulk of about 200 gms and store it and use as is necessary through the months. Remains good for a month at room temperature and in fridge it remains good for over 4-6 months.

** Heat the non-stick tava, when hot, lower the heat and add 1-2 tblsp of oil and spread well. Roll/ dust the marinated fish pieces lightly in the prepared rava rice flour mixture evenly to coat the fish pieces on all sides and then gently place them on the hot tava. Raise the heat to medium and fry the fishes flipping them over once cooked on bottom side to cook top side too until evenly crisp. Remove and place on an absorbent paper for excess oil to be drained.

** "Ghol/ Croaker Fish Fry" is fried, done, and ready to be served. Always serve fried fish hot and fresh immediately on frying for best results in taste. Ghol/ Crocker is a very tasty large sized fish with a thick thorn running in center. The fish is cut vertically close to the bone and then de-boned and then both the sides are cut into desired sized pieces after removing the outer skin too, which I assure you needs skill and practice.

** I always love to watch my fish vendor go about cleaning, skinning, and cutting the fish into pieces as we both chat on till she is done with. I always feel blessed to have a known this friendly fish seller who has become a sort of friend over 3 decades. She is very sincere and always keeps in mind about my health issues and does not make me wait. If there are more buyers, she just asks me which fish I would like to buy, I tell her and then I come back home.

** when she finishes she gives me a missed call, I then go and bring it from her and as she has already cleaned it all I need to do is give it a good rinse and it is ready to be cooked. Do go ahead and buy this fish if you have not yet tasted it, it just tastes wonderful and we enjoyed the fries very much. You can check out how this fish looks on google as I could not click a full picture as neither it is bought whole nor did my fish vendor have it with her. 

** You can serve it as a starter or as accompaniment with other dishes during meal time too. I am sure to buy these and try out more options with this fish whenever I find it in my vendors fish basket for sure. I truly loved that very flaky texture within and crisp exterior too. I have already tried a curry using this fish, well for my next tries on this fish keep browsing through my Blog and do Subscribe so that you do not miss out on recipes.