This Chilli Basil Whole Pan-Fried fish is a delicious fusion of Indian and Asian flavours, and a massive favourite on any Indian table.

Since these types of fusion dishes are not commonly prepared at home, you will find many Indian families queuing at their local Indo-Chinese restaurant for a taste of Asian inspired pan-fried fish dish. A fish dish like this, hits every spot!

In this recipe, I have used both Indian white pomfrets and Golden Pomfret. Both fish work well for this recipe.

Whole pan-fried fish is a dish commonly prepared by Mangalorean Catholic families in India and everywhere. Like Fish Rava Fry, Chilli Basil Whole Pan-Fried Fish is simple to make and does not involve deep frying.

If the fish is fresh, or what the Mangaloreans’ call “jivi jivi masli”, (meaning fresh fresh fish), then fish curry is usually the preparation of choice. Apart from making curries, some fishes are firm in texture, delicate and light in flavour are perfect for pan-frying.

A good pan-frying fish that is available in my local fish market is the Indian white pomfret or golden pomfret.

Indian white pomfrets are silvery in colour with white, firm, flaky flesh and are an excellent choice for this Chilli Basil Pan fried Fish.

The golden pomfrets on the other hand, are slightly golden skin but they also have firm, flaky and sweet meat, and are also an excellent choice for pan-frying.

If Indian white pomfrets are not available in your local fish market, you may use golden pomfret (always available), bream (aka porgy) or Barramundi.

If none of these fishes are available, then you may use medium size prawns for equally good results using the same recipe.

My Mangalorean Pomfret Curry and Easy Fish Kurma | Korma have always been a smash with website readers, friends and family alike but today I am going to show you how to make a delicious Asian fusion pan-fried fish dish.

Today on this beautiful sunny August Winter Day, I bring you an Indian/Asian fusion Chilli Basil Whole Pan-fried Fish using a pair of fresh Indian white pomfrets that I bought from my local fish shop.

This recipe can be made with Indian white pomfrets or golden pomfret. Some of the photos in my blog are of golden pomfret and some of white pomfret.

Fried fish is a staple in all Mangalorean Catholic homes on the west coast of India, as we get the freshest fish coming straight from the sea. White pomfret was the favourite fish of mine back then and same with my hubby too. He will always happily grab a couple of white pomfrets each time he sees them at the local fish market.

We feel ecstatic to be able to buy them now, as for decades, we could only dream of Indian white pomfrets in Sydney. Thanks to our fishmonger, who now stocks them regularly! Thank you, Zixuan!

I used to be an ace at cleaning the fish and I was my mum’s favourite pick of the day to clean fish. One thing I recall, is that I loved cleaning white pomfrets because they had very little scales and the fins were not sharp.

When I was a kid a standard format when buying pomfrets was to make a curry with 2 pomfrets and keep a few pieces for pan-frying.

My experience with pan-frying fish in oil goes back a long way when I was a kid. In Mangalore, we hardly ever pan-fried fish without marinating it. Three simple steps for pan-frying fish – First clean fish, then make the marinade and marinate fish (usually 20-30 minutes), finally pan-fry in coconut oil.

Do you ever remember the aroma of the pan-fried fish in coconut oil?

This pan-fried fish may seem a little daunting for those of you who have never prepared whole fish, but I’ve provided all the details to make sure it’s a success.

In Australia, whole fish sold in your local fish market is neither scaled nor gutted. Therefore, when buying a whole fish, always ask your fishmonger to scale and gut the fish for you, even if they don’t ask first.

My white pomfrets were scaled and gutted (meaning the belly cavity was cleaned of gut and other matter) by the fishmonger.

Most fishmongers these days will do an excellent job of descaling and cleaning the stomach cavity of a whole fish. Despite this, in some spots there will be scales that are missed and you will need to scrape off these scales for an enjoyable eating experience.

The steps below explain how to clean fish that is already scaled and gutted:

The ingredients for this Asian fusion whole pan-fried fish may seem a little daunting for those of you who have never prepared whole fish or fusion style whole fish, but I’ve provided all the details to make sure it’s a success.

To simplify the recipe, I have classified the ingredients into 3 headings:

• The base ingredients
• The Marinade
• Chilli Garlic Sauce

Here are the base ingredients for Chilli Basil Pan Fried Fish:

• The fish – The fish pictured above are Indian white pomfrets. They are silvery in colour with white, firm, flaky flesh and have even thickness.

Trim fins: Use scissors to trim the fins on top, sides and bottom but leave the tail intact for this recipe. Remove gills, if not removed already.

Scale: Using a knife or fish scaler, remove any residual scales for an enjoyable eating experience.

Clean: Wash the fish and clean the stomach cavity in a bowl of cold water. Use a paper towel and remove any traces of blood and other matter from the stomach cavity and wash it again. Pat dry and set aside.

See the box below for suggested fish. Aim for fish/fishes that have similar weight and thickness. In this case, I bought 2 pomfrets, each weighing approx. 350g and they had similar thickness. I have also used a golden pomfret weighing 650g to make the same recipe.

• Oil – Vegetable, canola or any other neutral flavoured oil that is suitable for shallow frying can be used. Once used, the oil can be re-purposed for making the Chilli Garlic Sauce, however, if the oil has a lot of residues from frying fish, then, please discard the oil and start over.

• Onion – Finely minced with a knife and added only when finishing the sauce, so you get soft onions and flavour that infuses into the sauce.

• Ginger – Finely minced for a hint of flavour and added directly to the finishing sauce. Do not add when prepping the sauce.

• Thai basil leaves – For flavour reflecting the Asian fusion in this recipe. Chop two handfuls roughly and stir in when finalising the sauce.

• Spring onions – Added to the sauce for a little texture and also for garnish (white part only). I can’t recall ever seeing Indian style pan fried fish garnished but this is an exception as it is a fusion pan-fried fish dish!!!

• Birds eye chillies (optional garnish) – For a pop of red colour and elegant look. Slivered looks nice but feel free to do any way you like.

In India, it is a very common practice to marinate fish before pan frying. Marinating fish enhances flavours and helps retain moisture during frying.

To put it bluntly, in India marinating fish is not optional!

Today I am making a marinade using vinegar, Kashmiri chilli powder, salt, cumin and turmeric powder. In Konkani (my mother tongue) this marinade is commonly called as “mit mirsang” (‘mit’ meaning salt and ‘mirsang’ meaning chilli) – a classic chilli paste used for frying any type of whole fish (with or without head), sliced fish or fish fillets.

Although this type of chilli paste is common in South India, there are many regional variations depending on the type of fish used.

Here are the ingredients for The Marinade:

• Vinegar – Key pantry staple – adds a touch of acidity, neutralises fishy odours and makes the liquid component of the marinade. It is traditional to use white vinegar in Mangalore for its sharp taste. Substitute: White wine vinegar for a rounded taste. Lemon juice to taste for those who are allergic to vinegar (It’s not my preferred acidic ingredient any day!!)

• Kashmiri chilli powder – Chilli is a must in Indian fish fry marinades and this is no exception. Increase or decrease to taste. Find at: Your local Indian grocery store. Large supermarkets and some local South-East Asian stores also stock Kashmiri chilli powder. Always check the label for “Kashmiri chilli powder” as other chilli powders will be too spicy for this recipe.

• Salt – A must, as no one likes bland fish here, there and everywhere! Further, in India, it is rare to add salt on the table, particularly for fried fish, as salt is usually added during cooking and in this case in the marinade.

• Cumin powder – Earthy flavours are a must in a Mangalorean style fish fry.

• Turmeric powder – For golden hues and a common ingredient in any fish fry marinades. Tones down some of the fishy odours.

Note: The photo above is of a marinated Golden Pomfret

This section reflects the Asian fusion in an Indian recipe and is the third component of this Chilli Basil Pan fried fish recipe. To create this Asian fusion for this Chilli Basil Pan fried Fish, we must also prepare the fusion Chilli Garlic Sauce.

Those of you who are familiar with the taste of Indian Asian fusion fish dishes will be salivating at this point!!!

If you are planning to make Chilli Basil Pan fried Fish, I would recommend that you add this Chilli Garlic Sauce to your shopping list. Having the consistency of ketchup, this bottled sauce adds spiciness, flavour, texture and the Asian fusion.

You can buy this Chilli Garlic Sauce at any large Asian grocery stores. I bought mine at “Miracles Supermarket” at Macquarie Centre.

In my recipe, I have used Chilli Garlic Sauce (Lee Lum Kee brand) that comes in 368g bottle. It is not the final sauce but used as a base to add flavour and spiciness. You may re-purpose the remainder of the sauce for repeating the same recipe or use fish fillets/steaks instead to make the same recipe.

Here are the ingredients for The Chilli Garlic Sauce:

• Chilli garlic sauce – This is a medium hot chilli sauce which is a popular base for Asian style fish dishes. In this recipe, it adds spiciness and flavour because it has ingredients in it like, ripened red chillies, vinegar and garlic. Having a consistency of ketchup, it helps thicken the sauce, thus eliminating the use of corn slurry. Warning: If allergic to gluten, buy a bottle clearly marked “gluten free”. Find at: Large Asian grocery stores in your area. I use Lee Kum Kee (368g bottle) brand that is certified gluten free by Coeliac Australia and New Zealand.

• Soy sauce – Use all-purpose soy sauce like, Kikkoman for the saltiness. Dark soy sauce is not suitable for this recipe due to dark colour and intense flavour.

• White | brown sugar – Adds sweetness, helps to thicken and make the sauce syrupy. White sugar gives beautiful red hues, while brown sugar gives darker colour to the final sauce. I have added white sugar to my taste, as I don’t like it too sweet. If you find it’s not sweet enough for your taste, just add more sugar to taste.

• Kashmiri chilli powder (optional) – Because we are making Chilli Basil Fish here. Reflecting the Indian influence in this dish, a little extra spiciness in the final sauce, is the preferred choice among Indian fish eaters. Taste the sauce while prepping for spiciness and do not add chilli powder if you are happy with the taste of sauce.

Concerned about the spiciness of this dish? Note 5 of the Recipe Card will show how to control or reduce it. But note! I am a chilli lover myself and I have a good tolerance for spicy food!

• Vegetable or fish stock or water – This is the liquid ingredient for a better flavoured sauce. Helps dilute the ketchup textured chilli garlic sauce, to go around for 2-4 people. If using water, season the sauce with salt, or use 2 tbsp. soy sauce, as the recipe calls for 1 tbsp.

Chilli Garlic Sauce ready to be served