It is difficult to live in Hyderabad with Konkani tastes :) . I have had fish 2-3 times in a week for most of my life but we do not get good fresh sea water fish easily in Hyderabad.

WhiteBait is one fish which is slightly easily available. Apparently this fish flows from the sea to the river and hence probably it is available here...or maybe it is just transported from the coasts. So I deep fried WhiteBait (Belanji in Konkani, also called Bolanjeer ) for lunch today. 
This is one fish which can be eaten with its bones. Since its a small fish we deep fry it and the bones add to crunchiness to the fritters.

Here is my Konkani simple fish fry recipe

Ingredients
250 gms of white bait,cut, scaled and cleaned
Pinch of turmeric, 
1 tsp red chilli powder 
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste
Oil - 500 ml
Rava - Semolina - 100 gms
Method

1. Clean the fish. Remove the head, the tail and the scales. 
                                         

2. Marinate it with salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and ginger garlic paste and keep aside for 15-30 mins. 

                                        
3. Heat oil in a vessel for deep frying on medium heat till it is very hot (almost smoking).

4. Roll the fish in Rava (Suji, Semolina) and rice flour (in 3:1 proportion) and deep fry on medium flame. Fry in batches of 10 fish at a time. Fry on both sides till the Fish is golden frown and crispy. Since this fish is very small it cooks easily.

This recipe can be used to fry almost any fish but since it  needs a lot of oil, I prefer the Tawa fry Fish. WhiteBait is too small and hence this is the preferred way to cook it. 

Note: Reposting this today with a clearer picture 

It is difficult to get fresh seafish here in Hyderabad. However got some really good pomfret the other day at Matsya darshini which is on Road no 10, Bajara Hills. Cooked a variation of the normal Konkani fish fry with slightly added south indian flavors from Kadipatta and garlic. 
We liked this variation over my normal fish fry...

Method

1. Crush handful of curry leaves and 3-4 garlic pods using a mortar and pestle. Add pinch of turmeric, 1/2 tsp of jeera powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder,1 tsp tamarind extract and salt according to taste. I applied this paste to approximately 1 kg(before cleaning) of fish.
2. Marinate thinly cut slices of black pomfret with this paste.
3. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan. Mix 2 tbsp of Rawa (sooji) and 1 -2 tsp rice powder in a  plate. Roll the fish pieces in this powder and then deep fry till crispy brown.
4. Serve hot!

Have been very busy lately and haven't been able to update the blog. 
I had read this recipe in a magazine sometime back and the simplicity of the dish made me want to cook it. This dish took me only 15 mins to prepare.



Method
1. Wash Basa fish Fillets thoroughly. Season with little salt and steam fillets of Basa Fish in a steamer for around 10 mins on medium flame. Add some lemon grass while steaming for flavour
2. As the fish is cooking, prepare the sauce with 2 tsp olive oil, 2 pods of garlic crushed, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 juice of lemon, 1/2 tsp honey, 1 tsp soya sauce. Adjust salt and sugar according to your taste.
3. Remove the fish fillets from the steamer. Pour the sauce generously on the fillets.
4. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Healthy recipe, isnt it?

We predominantly cook fish curries in 2 ways..this is my favorite way which goes well with some fishes like pomfret, kane(ladyfish) and even prawns.

Method
1. Wash 7-8 Kane fish(also called Lady fish) thoroughly, apply a little salt and set aside.
2.  Take a small pan, add  1 tsp coconut oil and when hot, add 1 -2 tsp coriander seeds, pinch of fenugreek seeds and 5-6 whole dry red chillies. Saute lightly for 2 mins
3. Grind them with 1 cup of grated coconut,  pinch of turmeric powder and 1 inch ball of tamarind to a fine paste. 
4. Take a bigger pan. Heat 2 tsp coconut oil and add 1 onion finely chopped and saute till pink.Add a pinch of fenugreek seeds, 2 green chillies slit at the centre and saute. You can use any other oil, but coconut oil gives it a distinct Konkani flavor.
5. Add the coconut paste and fry for 2-3 mins. Add 2-3 cups of water and let the mixture come to a good boil. I also add 2-3 Dried Sol for added sourness. 
6. Now add the fish and let the curry come to a good boil. Adjust the salt according to taste. This fish cooks within 5 mins. 
7. Serve hot with plain rice. 

This was one of those days where the dish turned out so tasty that I forgot to take pics and remembered that I need to take a pic for the blog when the last piece was left :) 
I was also too hungry to decorate the plate and hence the fish remains in spotlight in the pic.

Very easy recipe and tastes yummy and spicy.



Method

1. Mix  a pinch of Turmeric, 1/2 tsp chilli powder (you can add more depending on taste), 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp chopped coriander powder, salt, 4-5 curry leaves roughly chopped, 2-3 sprigs of coriander leaves roughly chopped,1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp oil in a bowl. Coat around 6 fish pieces evenly with this marinade. You can leave the fish in the marinade for an hour.

2. Roll the fish in a little Maida (All purpose flour) to hold the marinade together and then Pan fry on a low flame in a tawa. You need not add more oil as the marinade itself has oil.
I used Rohu fish here but you can try this recipe with any fish and it will taste good.

This is one of the tastiest Konkani Curries and features on my list of favorite Konkani dishes. Comes a close second to crab curry !!
Mom is here and hence she brought along Shark pieces from Mumbai. Shark is a difficult fish to clean as its skin needs to be removed so remember to ask the fish monger to clean and cut it for you. Shark is also available in dried form but here we have used the fresh fish.

Here is my moms Shark Curry recipe 

Method

1. Wash the fish and keep aside

2. Dry roast 1tsp coriander seeds, 7-8 red chillies, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 clove for 2-3 mins. Make it into a fine paste together in a grinder along with 1 cup freshly grated coconut, 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind and a pinch of turmeric.

3.Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan and Add 1 finely chopped onion. Fry it till it is translucent and then add the shark pieces.Add 1 cup of water and let the shark pieces cook. This may take around 10 mins on medium flame.

4.When the shark pieces are cooked add the paste. Add salt to taste. Adjust for water depending on how thick you want the gravy.

5. Cook for another 5 mins of medium flame or till the gravy boils.

6. Serve with rice.

I had tasted this dish in a restaurant in Kundapur and fell in love with it immediately so much that I asked the waiter for the recipe :) Of course, I did not remember the recipe word to word and cooked my own version.
We dont get as big Kaane fish ( also called Nogli ) here so managed with smaller ones. This fish is probably called Lady fish in English (not sure though - Google came up with some results which said that)




Method
1. Clean the fish, cut off the head and the tail. Make slits in the fish for masala to sink in. Marinate the entire fish with salt, turmeric and chilli powder. 
2. Grind together 1/2 onion sliced, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 3 red chilli, 5-6 garlic flakes, 1 marble sized tamarind, a pinch of asafoetida, 1 tsp turmeric and 1 inch ginger.


3. Add this masala to the fish and keep it aside for 1 hour.
4. Take a pan and add 2 tbsp coconut oil. Add 1 small onion finely clopped and saute till translucent. Add 1 twig of curry leaves. Now add the fish along with the paste and let it cook on low flame. Dont stir too much. Let the fish cook in the masala. It takes around half an hour for the raw taste of the masala to go away.

In Konkani cuisine, the staple food is rice and fish. We mostly eat sea water fish like pomfret, mackerel, surmai . We generally pan fry fish which is much healthier than deep frying it. I like fish as it is much lighter than other meat and tasty too if well cooked.




Method

1. Make a paste of 3-4 garlic pods, 2 tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, salt, a pinch of turmeric.
2. This paste can be stored in the refrigerator and used for about a week
3. Marinate the fish in this paste. Apply cuts to the fish and then marinate if using whole fish. This can be left for 15-20 mins for the fish to marinate well.

Here I have used Bangda (Mackerel) and Surmai (King Fish)

4. Heat a non stick pan. Roll the marinated fish in 3-4 tbsp of Sooji (Rawa) so that its entirely coated. 

  

                 

5. Add 1 tbsp oil on the tawa and then fry the fish. Turn the fish once the side looks golden brown. Fry the fish on a low flame till done.

Chop onions, add a pinch of salt and lemon juice and serve with the fish.

This dish goes very well with rice and Onion Tamboli or Simple Garlic Dal.

My mom marinates all the fish at one go and keeps it in the freezer and uses it within a week. That way the fish is marinated well and we get to eat fried fish every day. You can also use Rice powder or Rice Rawa instead of Sooji.