Fish Pakoras, a crispy treat

Introduction to Fish Pakoras

Fish pakoras, also known as fish fritters or fish bhajis, is a popular dish in South Asian cuisine, especially in countries like Pakistan. These pakoras are essentially spicy golden crispy bites, filled with succulent fish. Believe me, they are incredibly moreish and do not last long at all.

Fish Pakoras, The Ingredients

They be small little things, but they do have quite a few ingredients that go into making these mouth watering bites.

Each ingredients has an important role in bringing the pakoras to life. I experimented quite a few times with different quantities of ingredients before I was finally happy with this recipe. There is nothing worse than eating a pakora which is flat and flavourless or lacking in chilli.

Cod Fish

As cod has a mild and delicate flavour, it absorbs the ingredients of the pakora batter really well. You can use another white fish of your preference, for example haddock or coley fish.  

Gram Flour

Also known as besan, this flour has a lovely nutty and earth flavour. It is made from ground chickpeas and is often used in Pakistani cuisine. You will be able to find gram flour in any South Asian supermarket.

Salt

An absolute must! It’s a must to balance and sharpen the other spices in the batter.

Chilli Powder and Green Chillies

This is very much needed for heat, you can add or more to your taste. I tend not to make things too spicy so the kids can eat the pakoras comfortably. If you prefer the pakoras to be very mild, you can just stick to the paprika and omit the chilli powder and green chillies.

Turmeric Powder

The turmeric add a lovely golden colour to the batter and compliments the gram flours earthy flavour very well.

Coriander Seeds

I like to use whole seeds, coarsely ground. I find the flavour is much richer. The seeds lovely citrusy flavour is released beautifully. You can use ground coriander as an alternative, the the optimum flavour definitely comes from using whole coriander seeds. It also gives a very slight crunch in the batter which I like.

Garlic

Garlic has the sharp spicy taste which is essential to most Pakistani dishes. I am always generous with garlic and add heaped spoons of the stuff. Again using fresh garlic and finely chopping is better than using a paste. But garlic paste can be used as a substitute.

Ginger

Ginger adds that zingy and peppery taste to the batter. Where there is garlic, there is always ginger. They go hand in hand. Like the garlic, I always like to use fresh ginger, finely chopped and heaped spoons of the stuff. You can again use ginger paste, however the flavour is always better with fresh ingredients.

Paprika

I love a bit of paprika, it adds a sweet and tangy taste to the batter. It has subtle hints of the heat of the red chilli powder, it also adds a lovely rich colour to the batter.

Ajwain

Also known as carom seeds, has it’s own intense sharpness that adds a distinctive flavour to any dish. It is slightly bitter, but it pairs beautifully with fish. For me fish and again go hand in hand, they just sing together.

Cumin Seeds

Cumin seeds have a lovely warming flavour. The flavour amplifies the earthy tones from the gram flour and the citrus tones from the coriander seeds. Again it adds a slight crunch in the batter which I love the texture of.

Garam Masala

This is the harmonious blend that brings all the spices together. It adds to the rich flavour of the pakora batter.

Fresh Coriander

This add the vibrant freshness that most Pakistani dishes are known for. The citrus flavour goes very well with fish. It also looks luscious in the batter.

So as you can see there are quite a few ingredients involved in fish pakoras, but they work beautifully together to make mouth watering fish bites that you and your family will love.

Why I love fish pakoras

I love these pakoras as a starter. They are crispy on the outside with succulent fish on the inside. Fish pakoras make the perfect afternoon snack or starter to your dinner party. This starter is so quick and easy to make, if you are short on time, skip the marination, and you can have the pakoras ready in under 15 minutes. If you love pakoras like me, you may also want to try my vegetable pakoras. Serve your fish pakoras with some mint chutney and enjoy!

As a variation, you can also use the recipe to marinate a whole fillet of fish and shallow fry the fillet. Depending on the thickness of the fish, shallow fry in a frying pan for 3-4 minutes and turn over cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Fish Pakoras as a Ramadan starter

These pakoras are a great quick and easy starter to whip up for Ramadan (Islamic month of fasting). For most people, some deep fried treats are a must every night. If that’s you, don’t miss these pakoras off the list of things to make this Ramadan. It’s a great starter that requires minimal preparation and in addition, minimal cooking time. Another plus to make when you are tired and need to make something quickly.

Conclusion

Overall, the delicious flavour, unique texture, nutritional benefits, cultural appeal, versatility, and comfort associated with this starter are all reasons why you might love them. Whether enjoyed on their own as a snack or served as part of a meal, fish pakoras are sure to delight your taste buds and leave you craving for more.

See my video on Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish!

Ingredients for Fish Pakoras

Preparation: 6 minutes, cook time 6-7 minutes (ideally marinate fish for 2 hours before cooking)

Feeds 4-6

• 1 lire of vegetable oil
• 500 grams of white fish, skinned and cut into rough squares (I used cod)
• 5 heaped tablespoons of gram flour, sieved (90-100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (to taste)
• 1.5 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ajwain
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, coarsely ground with mortar and pestle
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 125 ml water

Method for Fish Pakoras

1. In a large bowl, add the gram flour, garlic, ginger, green chillies, paprika, salt, ajwain, turmeric powder, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, garam masala, fresh coriander and mix through.

Note: I finely chop the garlic ginger and green chillies in my mini food processor to save time, it also gives a much better consistency through the batter.

2. Then add the water in small splashes to make a sticky batter/paste You may need more water if it looks too dry, add small splashes at a time and mix. The batter should not be too runny, it should stick to your fingers. If you do add too much water, balance out by adding more gram flour. You should taste the batter to check the salt and spice consistency is to your taste.

3. Finally add the fish and mix through. Ideally let the fish marinate for 1 hour.

4. Check the oil in the wok is very hot before you start to fry the pakoras. Use a spoon to add in a piece of the fish at a time to the oil. Turn the heat down slightly. Cook the pakoras for around 3 minutes, then flip the over to fry the other side for another 2-3 minutes (depends on the size of your pakoras, cook for longer if they are larger in size). Use a slotted spoon to drain the oil from the pakoras before letting the pakoras drain off further on a plate.

5. Serve with chutney, doodh patti and enjoy!