Tandoori pomfret is a great twist on the classic tandoori chicken and would be a fish-lover’s dream!
Tandoori preparation is a classic Indian preparation and you have to taste the tandoori dishes to comprehend the beauty of Indian cuisine in its completeness! My today’s recipe on offer is tandoori pomfret which is great alternative to classic tandoori chicken.
You can make this delightful tandoori pomfret when you are bored of chicken and want to please your taste buds with something different. Tandoori pomfret is also a great dish to glorify your dinner table as it looks gorgeous when served.
Your family and friends will be immediately drawn to the dinner table as soon as you put down these stunning tandoori pomfret on table. Trust me, you will see this tandoori pomfret vanish into thin air within seconds! Make sure to keep your own serving separately!
The idea of making a tandoori pomfret came through after a recent weekend getaway. Though tandoori pomfret is not uncommon in Indian restaurant’s menu, it is mostly found in coastal cuisine.
During our recent trip, we rediscovered this deliciousness named tandoori pomfret and I can’t stop myself in giving little more details about its background!
Though I travel a lot, I realized that I haven’t ever written any travelogue. Travelling has become more as a habit than the entertainment and by God’s grace my better half too enjoys exploring new places as passionately as me.
He has an added passion of photography which works in my favor; we just need a petty excuse to pack our bags and hop on the bus or train or any vehicle whatsoever.
Recently we did a tour to Madurai in Tamil Nadu which is extremely popular for its 3000 years old Meenakshi Temple and this was our second trip to this place. Even being a small city, it has a real buzz of its own. I was amazed to see the market places of Madurai – it’s so packed with shops everywhere!
Couple of months back I was watching a travel cum cookery show in which the anchor was exploring Madurai and particularly showed a restaurant, Kumar Mess, which is a famous place for authentic Chettinad food.
Chettinad cuisine is famous for its use of a variety of spices used in preparing mainly non-vegetarian food. The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas and one of the most aromatic cuisines in India.
We got so tempted with their food while watching on TV that we determined to visit this place during our upcoming trip. And we fulfilled our wish to our hearts’ content! The food was lovely there and more appealing was the homely atmosphere. It was nowhere near to a fine dine restaurant, but the warmth there was extremely heart-touching!
Kumar Mess started as a homely business to serve home food to people and till date they are carrying their tradition with equal vigor. We got confused on what to order and what not to as their offerings were quite vast.
Out of many things, we had grilled pomfret which impressed us immensely. So, I thought of taking this on and serve my version of tandoori pomfret. It is an aromatic and exceptionally delicious dish. Enjoy it on any day, any occasion!
- Pomfrets – 4
- Lemon juice – 4 tbsp
- Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tsp
- Yogurt – ½ cup
- Kashmiri red chilli powder – 3 tsp
- Garam masala powder – 2 tsp
- Carom seeds – ½ tsp
- Gram flour – 4 tbsp
- Turmeric powder – ¾ tsp
- Melted butter – 4 tbsp
- Oil for greasing
- Salt to taste
- Lemon – 1, cut into wedges
- Pat the pomfrets dry with an absorbent towel. Make incisions on the pomfrets on both sides.
- Mix together the salt, lemon juice and ginger-garlic paste and rub the mixture all over the pomfrets. Set aside to marinade for twenty minutes.
- Mix together the yogurt, salt, chilli powder and garam masala powder in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add carom seeds and gram flour and sauté for four to five minutes or till fragrant. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the turmeric powder. Add this to the yogurt mixture and whisk well.
- Rub this mixture all over the pomfrets and into the incisions too. Marinate the pomfrets for an hour in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degree C/350 degree F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease a baking tray with oil and arrange the promfrets on it. Place the pomfrets in the middle rack of the oven and grill for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Baste with melted butter and cook for further 8 to 10 minutes or till the fishes have a golden and crisp crust.
- Serve hot with lemon wedges and green chutney.
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