This rava fish fry is a crispy pan-fried fish, seasoned with a spicy marinade and lightly coated with rava (semolina). It's a quick 30-minute recipe made with simple ingredients, and it tastes amazing as a starter or side dish with rice and curry.
Rava fish fry is a staple in Goan and Mangalorean cuisine. I love making this rava fry at home. It is so easy that I end up cooking it almost every week. If you enjoy fish fry recipes, you will also like our Goan kingfish fry, mackerel fry, or fish masala fry.
The aroma of fish frying in the pan is so good that it makes you instantly hungry...only a fish lover will agree. We usually enjoy it with steamed rice and dal for lunch. You can also serve it as a starter with green chutney, onion rings, and lemon wedges.
This rava fried fish is great for meal prep. You can marinate the fish in masala and freeze it. Whenever needed, thaw it and fry, and within 10 minutes, a delicious side dish is ready.
Quick Look: Rava Fish Fry Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Servings: 5
- Calories: ~181 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Marinate fish → coat with rava → heat oil in pan → shallow-fry until golden and crispy on both sides.
- Spice Level: Medium
- Flavor Profile: Spicy and tangy
- Difficulty: Easy
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Disclaimer: AI summaries may contain errors. Please check the original Rava Fish Fry recipe for accurate steps.
Why you'll love this recipe!
- Quick & easy: This is why I love fish fry the most. Quick and easy to make, ready in under 30 minutes, and tastes yum!
- Homemade fish fry masala: Simple masala made with everyday ingredients.
- Customizable: Add or skip the ingredients to make fish masala to suit your taste.
- Make-ahead: Store in an airtight container and freeze.
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Ingredients Notes
See the recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredients, quantities, and a printable version.
- Fish fillet: I have used Kingfish (Iswan) to make this rava fish fry recipe. You can use any other fish like Bangda (Mackerel), Silver fish, or Pomfret.
- Ginger-garlic paste: You can get ready-made paste easily from stores. Or you can make it at home. Blend 10-12 garlic cloves & 1-inch ginger (roughly chopped) to a fine paste.
- Red chili powder: I have used a combination of Kashmiri red chili powder & spicy red chili powder. Kashmiri red chili powder gives the fish marinade a bright red color and is mild.
- Tamarind paste: For authentic Mangalorean-style fish rava fry, soak a small lemon-sized tamarind ball in ½ cup hot water for 10 minutes and squeeze out the pulp. You can also substitute with equal lemon juice as we did in our mackerel fry recipe.
- Rava: I have used fine rava (semolina). Coating the fish in rava helps it to fry crisp. Substitute it with rice flour.
- Oil: Traditionally, in Karnataka, we use coconut oil for fish fry. You can shallow-fry it in any neutral-flavor cooking oil with a high smoke point.
Substitutes and Variations
- Other fish options: The same masala works well with Bangda (Mackerel fry), Pomfret, or any firm fish.
- Vegetable fry: Slice vegetables like potato or brinjal into rounds, coat with the masala and rava, and shallow fry until crisp. I made brinjal fry with the same masala. Perfect for veg days or the Shravan month.
How to make Rava Fish Fry (Step-by-Step Recipe)
Step 1: In a small bowl, mix ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and tamarind paste. Your fish masala or fish marinade is ready. Set it aside.
Step 2: Take the fish fillet and spread a thin layer of fish masala over it, making sure to cover the sides as well. If the paste is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of water, mix, and spread it over the fish.
Step 3: Take a plate and spread rava evenly on it. Place the marinated fish on the plate and gently press so it sticks well. Flip the fish and coat the other side too.
Step 4: Set these rava-coated fish aside on a plate.
Step 5: Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Place the coated fish in the pan and shallow fry.
Step 6: Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side until crisp, then flip and fry for 3-4 minutes on the other side. Remove, serve hot, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Make-ahead fish masala: You can prepare the fish masala in advance and store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 15 days.
- Tamarind substitute: Use an equal amount of lemon juice or 1 teaspoon of vinegar instead of tamarind.
- Marination time: For the best flavor, marinate the fish in the masala for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour in the refrigerator. After marinating, coat the fish with rava and shallow fry.
- Storing marinated fish: I apply the masala to the fish and freeze it in an airtight container for up to a week. Defrost on the kitchen counter, coat with rava, and fry.
- Fish frying tips: Make sure the oil is hot but not smoking. If the oil is too hot, the fish will burn on the outside and stay uncooked inside. Reduce the heat if the pan is too hot while frying the next batch.
- Cooking method: I usually shallow-fry the fish at home, but you can deep fry it if you prefer.
Recipe FAQs
Rava fry is a simple way to make fish or seafood crispy. The fish is marinated with spicy masala paste, coated with semolina (rava), and shallow or deep-fried, no batter needed. This style is very popular in Mumbai, Goa, Karnataka, and the Konkan region.
For rava fish fry, use fine rava (semolina). You can also mix in a little rice flour for extra crispiness. This recipe works well with firm fish like Bangda (Mackerel), Pomfret, or any firm white fish.
Fry the fish for about 3-5 minutes on each side over medium-high heat, depending on thickness, until golden and crisp. For extra crispiness, you can cook for another 1-2 minutes on low heat. Make sure the fish is cooked through before serving.
Recipe Card
Rava Fish Fry Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
To make fish masala
- 2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder + 1 teaspoon spicy red chili powder
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste or use 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Other ingredients:
- 5 fish fillet
- ¾ cup fine rava (semolina)
- 3 tablespoons oil (divided)
Instructions
Preparations
- Soak a small lemon size tamarind ball in ½ cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Gently squeeze out the pulp. Set this aside. Tamarind pulp is ready.1 tablespoon tamarind paste
Making Fish Fry Masala
- In a small bowl, mix ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and tamarind paste. Your fish masala or fish marinade is ready, Set it aside.2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste, 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder + 1 teaspoon spicy red chili powder, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon coriander Powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 5 fish fillet
- Take the fish fillet and spread a thin layer of fish masala over it, making sure to cover the sides as well. If the paste is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of water, mix, and spread it over the fish.
- Take a plate and spread rava evenly on it. Place the marinated fish on the plate and gently press so it sticks well. Flip the fish and coat the other side too. Set these rava coated fish aside on a plate.¾ cup fine rava
Frying the fish
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Place the coated fish in the pan and shallow fry.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side until crisp, then flip and fry for 3-4 minutes on the other side. Remove, serve hot, and enjoy.
Notes
- Make the fish masala ahead and freeze it in an airtight container. Use within 15 days.
- Add the tamarind paste slowly, 1 teaspoon at a time, and keep the masala thick so it coats the fish well. If it turns too thick, add 1 teaspoon of water to make it spreadable. You can also replace tamarind with the same amount of lemon juice or use 1 teaspoon of vinegar.
- Marinate the fish in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then coat with rava and fry.
- After applying masala, you can also freeze the fish for up to a week. Thaw on the counter before coating with rava and frying.
- Adjust red chilli powder to taste.
- Kashmiri chilli powder is optional. It gives colour, so pair it with spicy chilli powder for heat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other amazing Mangalorean recipes:
ashok
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope they will like it.
Preeti
Thanks. Glad you all liked it.