Stuffed Pomfret Fry- Bharlela paplet..yum yum!

That meant the yummiest of fish and crustaceans were brought in by mom and cooked to perfection every single week.

Oh how I miss the good old days when we came home to the aroma of fish fry and some lovely curry.
I loved them all like they were my own..the prawns, the ravas (salmon) , the bombil (bombay duck), the crab, the shimplya (clams) and so many more varieties..but Pomfret cooked in any form always topped the list.Pomfret has always been the most favorite food of our family at all times.
So much so that we even named our whatsapp family group 'The paplet queens' in its honour.

Here is my mother's recipe to Bharlela Paplet which involves stuffing pomfret with a coconutty masala and shallow frying it.

All you need is-

• 2 fresh pomfrets (Silver pomfret) - cleaned, whole and without the head and fins, with a slit on the side
• Fresh coconut (Shredded) -1 cup
• Green chillies - 4-5
• Fresh Coriander - Handful
• Garlic - 5-7 cloves
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon Juice - 3-4 tsps
• Rice flour - 4 tsps (Or enough to coat the fish)
• Semolina - 2 tsps (Or enough to coat the fish)
• Red chili powder - 2 tsps
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

This is how we do it-

1. Wash the pomfret and rub it with some salt, 1 tsp red chili powder, turmeric powder and lemon. Set it aside for at least 15-20 mins.
2. Grind together shredded coconut, chillies, coriander (keep some aside for garnishing), ginger, garlic, sugar, salt. Add little water to make a paste.
3. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and sauté the paste for a minute.Don't cook the paste for too long as that can lead to a bitter tasting masala.
4. In a bowl, mix rice flour, semolina, salt and 1 tsp red chili powder.
5. Once the masala paste is cooked, add a little lemon juice to it and mix well.
6. Fill the pomfret with the paste and and coat it with the flour mixture.
7. Shallow fry the pomfret on medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side, or till its fully cooked.
8. Squeeze ample lemon juice over the pomfret and garnish it with coriander.

You can reduce or add to the number of tsps of chili powder and number of green chillies depending on how hot you want the recipe to be.


For all those who can't consume coconut due to dietary constraints, here is an alternate recipe to the masala filling-

1. Marinate the fish as directed above.
2. Substitute the shredded coconut and lemon juice in the masala paste with 1/4 cup of vinegar.
3. You will need a lot of coriander, say a bunch.
4. All of the other ingredients stay the same. Grind them all into a paste n sauté in vinegar. Oil isn't required.
5. Cook it for a couple of minutes till the vinegar dries out and the mixture becomes thick.
6. Fill it in the pomfret and fry as directed above.
7. Finish the pomfret with a dash of lemon juice and garnish it with coriander.

Hope you enjoy making this recipe. Happy Cooking!
#Fish Fry #Pomfret #Bharlela Paplet


Link to more Seafood recipes on my blog-

1. Garlicky Shrimp & Mixed Greens Salad
2. Baked Tilapia & Turnip Greens
3. Prawn Pulao- Shrimp Rice