Dinner

Recheado Masala Fish

Name: Recheado Masala Fish
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 95 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 4 mackerel; 18 dried dried red chilies, dried; 1 inch ginger; 8 cloves garlic; 1.5 tsp pepper; 1 tsp cumin; ½ tsp turmeric, powdered; cinnamon stick, to taste; 4 cloves; 2 cardamom; 1 tbsp sugar; 2 marble sized tamarind; 2.5 tbsp vinegar; oil, for frying; salt, to taste

Mackerel is stuffed and coated with a thick, tangy, spicy recheado masala, then shallow-fried until golden brown.

1 hr 35 min
450 kcal
Pescatarian
Indian
Seafood

Mellowpan tip: This one takes a while. Save it for a slower day, and swap it in when the week allows.

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

Steps

Step 1:
Soak all the spices, ginger, garlic, tamarind pulp, and Kashmiri chilies in the vinegar, keeping the oil aside.
Step 2:
Add the sugar and salt.
Step 3:
Add the turmeric powder.
Step 4:
Combine well and marinate for 35–40 minutes.
35–40 min
Step 5:
Grind the mixture until soft and smooth.
Step 6:
Add more vinegar only if needed, keeping the masala paste thick so that it will stick to the fish.
Step 7:
Rinse the fish, slit each one through the center, and make a few incisions on top.
Step 8:
Stuff the paste into the center slit and the incisions.
Step 9:
Coat the entire fish with the paste and marinate for 30 minutes.
30 min
Step 10:
Heat the oil in a shallow pan.
Step 11:
Shallow-fry the stuffed mackerel in the hot oil.
Step 12:
Fry until golden brown on both sides.
Step 13:
Serve the recheado mackerel hot with salad, lime wedges, rice, and curry.
Step 14:
Keep the masala paste thick; otherwise the result will not be good.
Step 15:
If Kashmiri chilies are unavailable, use Bedgi chilies or Kashmiri red chili powder.
Step 16:
Use either white vinegar or coconut vinegar.
Step 17:
Store any leftover paste in the refrigerator for future use.
Step 18:
Cinnamon may be omitted, as it is a strong spice generally used for meat or chicken.