Topse Fish Fry is a traditional Bengali Fish Fry Recipe in which Topse Mach (also known as Mango Fish) is marinated and later dipped in gram flour batter along with spices and deep fried. This recipe is also called as Topse Batter Fry.
Topse batter fry is a popular starter served at Bengali wedding celebrations especially during lunch. Due to a shortage of supply, we rarely see Topse mach or Mango fish in Bangalore. Therefore, whenever we get this fish, we enjoy topse macher fry as an evening snack or with plain rice and dal.
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Where Can I Buy Topse Fish?
If you are in West Bengal, you can get this fish only in big fish markets. It is abundantly available during rainy season. However, if you are in Bangalore, you can check HAL market which is considered a big fish market here. If you're searching to purchase this fish, you can also look at certain web portals.
Characteristics of Topse Fish
Topse mach is smaller in size and it is a freshwater fish. Therefore, it is mostly available in river water. It has a small bone in the middle that is very soft. The body of the fish is tinted with yellow. If you are a fish lover and never had topse mach, then I would recommend trying it because it is very tasty.
Ingredients Required to Prepare Topse Fish Fry
Topse Fish: The key ingredient of this recipe is Topse much which is also known as Mango fish. Topse are small freshwater fish that are delicious.
Onion-Ginger-Garlic: The addition of onion, ginger, and garlic paste to the batter provides a distinct taste to the fish fry.
Gram Flour: The batter of the fish fry is prepared using gram flour or besan. Always use fresh gram flour to get the best outcome.
Oil: I use mustard oil for deep frying of the fish, you can use any vegetable oil of your choice.
Others: Apart from the above ingredients, I have used, salt, lemon juice, cooking soda and nigella seeds (kalo jeera or kalonji) in this fish fry recipe.
How to make Topse Fish Fry
Wash and clean all the fish. Now marinate with salt and lemon juice for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grind onion chunks, garlic pods, and peeled ginger into a smooth paste in a food processor.
Take gram flour and mix in a pinch of baking soda. Mix thoroughly. Now add nigella seeds and salt in the gram flour mixture. Combine well.
Now add the onion-ginger-garlic paste into the flour mixture. Make a paste by gradually adding water. The paste should not be thick or runny in consistency.
The key to success is batter consistency. It shouldn't be overly thin or watery. If it's too runny, add gram flour. If the batter is too thick, add a bit more water until it reaches the desired consistency.
Heat oil in a wok and dip fish in batter and drop in the oil for frying. Fry both side until golden brown under medium heat. Once done, take out the fish from the oil and serve hot. Fry the fish on a medium heat range. The top layer of flour will be burned by a high flame.
How to serve Topse Fry
Topse fry is a very good starter option especially with plain rice. You can also serve this fish fry as an evening snack along with ketchup or kasundi.
Can I make Topse Fish Fry ahead of time
You can do all the preparation work ahead of time and recommend to fry it just before serving. If you prepare ahead of time, then you can definitely re-heat but you won't get a crispy coating.
More Bengali Recipes
Bengali Fish Roe Fritters | Macher Dimer Bora
Topse Macher Fry | Mango Fish Fry
Materials
- 250 gms Topse Mach (around 15 pieces)
- 1½ cup Gram Flour (Besan)
- ⅛ teaspoon Cooking Soda
- 2 cups Mustard Oil
- 1 no Onion, medium cut into 4 pieces
- 8 pods Garlic
- 1 inch Ginger
- ½ teaspoon Nigella Seeds
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Wash and clean all the fish and marinate with salt and half of the lemon juice. Keep aside.
- Meanwhile, take onion pieces, garlic pods, and peeled ginger in a grinder and make a smooth paste.
- Now take gram flour and add a pinch of cooking soda in it. Mix well.
- Add nigella seeds and salt in the gram flour. Combine well.
- Now add the onion-ginger-garlic paste into the flour mixture. Slowly add water and make a paste. The consistency of the paste should not be thick or runny.
- Heat oil in a wok and dip fish in batter and drop in the oil for frying.
- Fry both side until golden brown under medium heat.
- Once both sides are done, slowly take it out on a plate and similarly fry the remaining fishes.
Notes
- Consistency of the batter is the key. It should not be runny or too thick. If it's runny, add gram flour into it. If the batter is thick then add little more water to get the right consistency.
- Fry the fish under medium heat. High flame will burn the top coating of gram flour.
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