Remove all the scales of the Mackerels, clean and wash them Note:- Do Not discard the heads of the fish. Fish heads enhance the flavour of any fish dish.So we boil the fish along with the heads Cut each fish into two pieces
In a wide vessel, Add 1/2 cup water and 1 tspn salt
Add all the fish pieces(including the heads) into the vessel
Cover the vessel and place it on high flame
Boil the fish for 5 minutes on each side
Then open the lid of the vessel and keep the gas flame high and allow all the water to evaporate
Once all the water has evaporated, turn the gas flame off
Keep the fish aside to cool at room temperature. You can discard the fish heads
Once the fish has cooled completely, we go ahead and de-bone the fishNote:- Mackerels have many tiny hidden bones apart from the main bone, so please be very patient and careful while de-boning Mackerels. Do not be in a hurry. Also, ensure that there is enough lighting in the room while de-boning Mackerels so all the bones are easily visible to you. Place all the de-boned fish into a big bowl
Now add all the ingredients to the fish namely onions, tomatoes, chillies, corn flour, jeerem Meerem powder, Ginger garlic paste, mashed potato, vinegar, coriander, Maggi cube and egg
Hand mix it well
The fish cutlet batter is ready
You can store this batter in an airtight container in the deep freezer for up to 1 month
If you're frying them on the spot, make medium sized balls of the batter
Flatten each ball on your palms to form shapes of your choice
Coat each flattened cutlet completely, with semolina(rawa) on all sides
If you don't wish to fry all the cutlets at once, You can place the shaped cutlets in the deep freezer in an air tight container, to be fried at a later stageNote:- If you're storing the cutlets in the freezer, remember to use parchment paper to separate each cutlet if you're placing them one above the other. Parchment paper will ensure that the cutlets don't stick to each other and while removing them, it will be much easier and less messy. When frying frozen cutlets, you must always thaw the cutlets completely and only then fry them For frying, heat some oil(for shallow frying) in a non stick pan
The gas flame should be medium low
Once the oil becomes hot, fry the fish cutlets nice and crisp on both sides, on medium low flame, 10 minutes on each sideNote:- we fry fish cutlets on low flame so that the cutlets get evenly fried from inside as well. If the flame is high, the cutlets will get crisp only on the outside and the inside remains moist Once the cutlets are fried, remove them on a kitchen paper towel to get rid of any excess oil
Enjoy fish cutlets Hot & Crisp as a starter or as a side. I love to eat fish cutlets with hot pao(bread) :) Yummm!