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Mangalorean style rava fish fry with step by step photos & a recipe video. Rava fish fry recipe is a crispy fried fish recipe.

Fish is first marinated with the spicy homemade fish masala. These marinated fish fillets are coated with rava (semolina) & shallow fried in a pan until crisp.

You can serve this rava fish fry as a side dish with plain steamed rice and dal, or any curry. Or you can even enjoy fish fry with green chutney, onion rings & lemon wedges.

image of rava fish fry on a green plate. Served with onion rings & lemon wedge.

In this recipe post, I am sharing the Mangalorean style rava fish fry recipe. This rava fish fry is my mother-in-law's recipe.

I love to make it every week. We enjoy it as a side dish with steamed rice & dal.

Recipe features

Quick & easy to make - The best part of making this recipe is that you can make it in less than 30 minutes.
Easy to customize – see the ingredient list below for alternative ingredients. You can add or skip the ingredients as per your taste.
Make-ahead recipe - You can make it ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container and freeze it.
Homemade Fish fry masala - Easy to make fish fry masala with simple ingredients is shared in this post.

Ingredients to make Mangalorean rava fish fry

close-up image of ingredients used to make Mangalorean rava fish fry

Ginger-garlic paste - You can get readymade 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. Using Kashmiri red chili powder is optional. It gives a bright red color to the masala and it is not spicy.
Salt - Add salt as per taste.
Coriander powder - It gives a nice aroma to the masala.
Turmeric powder
Tamarind paste - Authentic Mangalorean fish fry recipe requires the addition of tamarind paste. However, you can substitute it with an equal quantity of lemon juice or add 1 teaspoon vinegar.
Fish fillet - I have used Kingfish (Iswan) to make this rava fish fry. You can also use Bangda (Mackerel), Pomfret, etc.
Rava - I have used fine rava (semolina). It helps the fish to fry crisp. Substitute it with rice flour.
Oil - You can shallow fry it with any cooking oil. Traditionally, in Karnataka, we use coconut oil.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

Cooking tips:

You can make the fish masala in advance. Transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the freezer for longer shelf life. Use it within 15 days.
Add the tamarind paste 1 teaspoon at a time & mix. Make sure you make a thick masala. If the masala is too thin then the fish will not get coated well with the masala.
Substitute the tamarind with either lemon juice or vinegar. Add the same quantity of lemon juice or use 1 teaspoon of vinegar.
For best flavors let the fish marinate in the fish masala for a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour. Store it in the refrigerator. After 30 minutes, coat it with rava & crisp fry it.
After applying the masala to the fish fillet, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer. Stays good for a week. Whenever needed, take it out & place it on the kitchen counter to defrost. Then coat it with rava & shallow fry it.
If you find it difficult to apply the masala with your hands then use a spoon to coat the fish with the masala.
Add the red chili powder as per taste.
Using Kashmiri red chili powder is optional. It gives a deep red color to the fish masala. It is not spicy, so I added spicy red chili powder.
Make sure the oil is hot (not very hot or smoky) before you place the fish to fry. If the oil is very hot then the exterior of the fish will burn and the fish will remain uncooked.
I have shallow fried the fish. This is how we make fish fry at home. You can deep fry the fish too.

How to make Mangalorean-style rava fish fry

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.

Making Fish Fry Masala

In a small mixing bowl, combine ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and tamarind paste. Fish masala is ready. Set it aside. (image 1 to 6)
Now take the fish fillet and apply a thin layer of fish masala over it. Make sure to apply the masala on the sides. (image 7 to 10)
Take a plate & spread rava over it. Place the marinated fish on this plate. Gently press the fish on it so that it gets coated well with rava. Flip the fish & coat it on the other side too. Set it aside. (image 11, 12 & 13)
Repeat steps 2 & 3 with the rest of the fish fillet. Keep them ready.

Frying the fish

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. ‘
Place the fish on the pan & shallow fry it. (image 14)
Let the fish fry on one side for 3-4 minutes until it is crisp.
Flip it & fry for 3-4 minutes on the other side too. (image 15)
Remove, serve hot & enjoy. (image 16)

image of fried fish served on a green plate.

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other amazing Mangalorean recipes:

Prawn Ghee Roast
Chicken Ghee Roast

Variations that you can try:

You can use the same masala to fry any other fish like Bangda (Mackerel), Pomfret, etc.
You can make round slices of vegetables like potato, brinjal, etc. Coat it with the same masala and rava. Shallow fry until crisp.

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5 from 1 vote