Ambarsari Fish Masala

This Ambarsari Fish Masala is a must try if you love Indian style seafood dishes. It’s rich and indulgent with a perfect balance of spices and aromatics. A dish for special occasions!

Today, my little one turns 6.

Flash back 6 years ago to the moment I became a mother, the very first time I laid my eyes on him. Love at first sight!

Being a mother is an experience beyond words and I know every single woman who has mothered a child will agree to it. As someone rightly put it, it’s a decision to let your heart walk outside your body forever.

Adi is the most beautiful child; sensitive, caring, friendly…..he is a beautiful human being. And all I ask my Lord for him today is to enable him always to be the amazing person he is, never to lose his kindness, stay humble in this greedy world, never be too busy for his friends and always have time to appreciate the wonders of Nature.

Happy Birthday, my precious little one.

Adi loves seafood and today’s dish, Ambarsari fish masala, has become one of our family favourites.

This delicacy comes from the beautiful city of Amritsar in Punjab. Bold in flavours and resplendent with spices, the Ambarsari fish masala is rich and indulgent.

While frying the fish in ghee might sound like a bit of calorific indulgence, it really helps to add a complexity of flavour that frying in oil cannot provide. But go ahead and use oil if you wish to do so for health reasons.

Another critical point is the use of mustard oil to prepare the gravy; again vegetable oil will not do the job as mustard oil provides a nutty smokiness which adds to the multilayered flavours of this dish.

Ambarsari fish masala pairs deliciously with steamed rice and dal or with laccha parathas; the former combination is our favourite.

Seer fish is a good choice for this preparation but you can also use halibut, snapper, cod or tilapia.

Print Recipe

Ambarsari Fish Masala

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian, North Indian

Author: Dhanya Samuel

Ingredients

• 5 large seer fish steaks/slices
• 3-4 tbsp ghee to fry the fish

To marinate the fish:

• Juice of 1 fresh lemon
• 1 tsp ajwain
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt to season

To make the thick gravy/masala:

• 1 large onion finely diced
• 1 ½ tsp coriander seeds; lightly crushed
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 4 green cardamom pods lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi
• 1 pinch nutmeg powder
• 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
• 3 tbsp mustard oil
• Salt to season

To garnish:

• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 tbsp julienned/finely sliced fresh ginger

Instructions

• Clean and pat dry the seer fish pieces. Season with salt.
• Grind all the ingredients under list 3 to make a paste like marinade (add water if necessary).
• Marinate the fish pieces using this paste, coating both the sides well. Keep for at least 4 hours.
• Heat the ghee in a large, flat pan and shallow fry the seer fish pieces in batches. Keep aside.
• In another pan, heat the mustard oil to smoking hot and then add the onions; sauté for two minutes.
• Lower heat and add the coriander seeds, cardamom pods and cumin seeds. Saute for another 2-3 minutes and then add the turmeric powder, garam masala, kasuri methi and nutmeg.
• Continue to sauté till the onions are light brown and mixed well with the spices. Next, add the tomatoes and cook till the sauce thickens and becomes a mushy consistency. You can also notice oil separating at the sides of the pan.
• Season with salt and chilli powder, if necessary.
• Place the fried fish carefully on the sauce and spoon some over the fish pieces.
• Garnish with coriander leaves, green chillies and ginger just before serving.

Enjoy!