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Peshawari Fried Fish

Actually I made this at the time when I made the roast sita which means corn in either HIndko or Pashto but at the same time it is a favorite in Peshawar and it is street food there. So is the fried fish in that area of the world and I am just now doing this post. I made a homade Pakstani Fish Masala Spice Mix and never once used it in any recipe but I am for this one for a change. I made it for single use only.

If you have any type of frozen fish, just thaw it out in the refridgerator overnigh in a big bowl to catch all of the liquid below so it does not mess up your refridgerator and make it funky. Make the fish masala just before you start making this fish and set it aside. In a wok or large cast iron skillet on high heat, add 1/4 cup of either vegetable, corn or canola oil. Add a drop of mustard oil or coconut oil to this and in a seperate bowl from the fish add 1/4 cup of besan, 1 pinch of anar dana, 1 oz of water which is enough to make a batter add a little at a time so there won’t be any lumps. Cush 1 clove of garlic, add 1 pinch of either pink salt, plain sea salt or kosher salt, add 1 pinch each of turmeric, red chili powder, paprika and the masala and mix it in to the batter.

Take the fish and clean it very well with cold water then add 1 capful of either lemon or lime juice and rub it all over the fish. All fish has to be either steaked or filletted with the exception of butterfish, fresh sardines and smelts. The fish must have the gills and their internal organs as well as their scales removed. Watch it because people in the grocery stores are getting lazy when it comes to cleaning the fish. To remove the scales work from the tail on all the way to the head and trim off their fins before you apply anything including the batter. Once it is all done then you can dip the pieces of fish and carefully add it to the hot oil and then cook the fish 5 minutes per side until it is done. Repeat until fish is used up or you can use shrimp and even other types of shellfish such as scallops, cleaned squid and octopus is also amazing and does not take long to cook. When done remove the fish and place it on the paper towel lined plate and enjoy with a salad and some iced tea, lemonade or limeade.

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