One of the most unique recipes I have experimented with is the prawns coated fish fry. A spin on a classic Kerala favourite, I combined two staples from my kitchen. And growing up in a family involved with prawn farming, there were always prawns in the freezer. Then, I stumbled across the idea in one of my mother’s old recipe books and altered the recipe to what you see today. A double treat, this dish is sure to be a hit!
How to prepare in three simple steps
- Marinate the fish
- Next, prepare the prawns masala coating
- Cover the fish with the coating and fry
What to serve with this dish
It goes well with plain boiled rice. Serve along with some sliced onions rubbed with salt and lime juice. Also, this can be served as a starter – fish fingers can be prepared similarly and then served along with ketchup as a party appetizer.
If you are a prawns fan, check out some of my other recipes here like masala prawns and prawn mango curry.
Check out the video here!

Prawns Coated Fish Fry (Special Fish Fry)
Ingredients
Marination
Coating
Onion Salad
Frying
Instructions
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Wash and pat dry fish pieces
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Mix the ingredients for marinade. Add little water to make into a smooth thick paste. Rub the marinade on both sides of the fish and let it rest for 30 min.
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Heat a heavy bottom skillet or kadai, add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Add chopped onions and saute for 2 mins. Now add chopped ginger, chillies and curry leaves. Saute for 2 min. Add chopped prawns and cook for 5 mins. Now add salt, turmeric, chilli powder and continue to cook on high flame, stirring continuously until water evaporates and prawns are cooked.
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Take off the flame. Cool slightly and pulse or grind coarsely.
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Add one egg to the coarsely ground prawns. Mix and combine well.
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Now apply a thin layer of prawns masala on both sides of the fish. Cover the fish entirely with the prawns mix.
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Take rice flour in a plate. Coat fish pieces in rice flour. Keep aside.
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Heat a cast iron skillet / heavy bottom skillet. Pour coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, place the fish pieces. Fry on high flame for 4 min. Now fry on medium flame for 6 to 7 min. Once the bottom side is golden brown, turn over and fry similarly. Once both sides are fried, turn on the flame to high and fry for 1 min. Take the fried pieces and drain on a kitchen towel.
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Slice on onion thin, add 1/4 tsp salt, 3 slices curry leaves, 1/2 split green chilli and 2 tsp lime juice. Rub and serve alongside fried fish.
Note
Fish - Boneless, skinless, pieces of fish works best for this recipe. One can use king fish or modha fish. Make sure fish is fresh and skin and bones are removed. Flip the fish gently. While frying, care should be taken not to break the fish.
Fish fingers - To make fish fingers, slice fish into strips. Coat them with prawns masala and deep fry. Serve alongside ketchup or sauce of your choice.
Rice flour - Fine roasted rice flour is used for coating the fish.
Pan for frying - Use heavy bottomed pan with sides that go up to at least two inches for frying. Use cast iron or stainless steel skillet for frying.