The soft and delicate batter fried Basa fish fillet tastes great when cooked with minimal fuss and today’s recipe is a real example of that!
Since the time I have discovered this fish called ‘Basa’, I have simply fallen in love with it. Trust me, you will too if you taste it even once! So, I have come with this incredible recipe of batter fried basa to make it easier for you.
This recipe of batter fried basa is a winner in itself thanks to the deliciousness of the fish. This fish’s texture is immensely delicate and soft and it has an amazing capability of adhering to the flavors it is cooked with.
But this melt-in-mouth quality of basa is best enjoyed when it is not overpowered with too many spices. If you are a seafood lover, you will freak out on this batter fried basa fish any given day!
Best this about this recipe is the ease of making it in a jiffy when you have a seafood craving or when you have surprised guests as home! They will simply love you for this, trust me!
This recipe of batter fried basa fillet with a simple coating was inspired from the street food of my home town Kolkata which is very popular for its widespread array of fish & seafood and the endless variety of snacks.
When you combine these two, you create something really incredible like this batter fried basa which I made taking inspiration from one of the similar recipes popularly known as fish fry back in my hometown.
Fish fry coating is somewhat different as it is primarily based on breadcrumbs giving the fish fillet a crispy outer crust; whereas my batter fried basa is dipped into a smooth batter of milk, egg and flour lending the fish fillet a smooth and velvety texture outside.
I do miss Kolkata for its special street foods. I have stayed in few big cities of India like Mumbai, Hyderabad and now Bangalore, but nowhere could I find such amazing variety of street food, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
I used to incline towards the meaty snacks when I used to live there and there seemed to be endless varieties to choose from like meat cutlet, fish fry, chicken roll, meat/fish fritters and many more.
At the same time, the veg options never failed to delight me as well, like samosa, potato fritters, vegetable fritters, eggplant fritters and the list will go on and on.
Since these street foods were an integral part of my growing up years, I do crave for them every now & then; hence I decided to make it on my own and satisfy my deprived soul!
Being a fish lover, this batter fried basa had to be on the top of my to-do list and hence I started my journey towards satisfaction with this insanely delish snack.
My first attempt came out surprisingly nice which was beyond my expectation. So, it proves that this recipe of batter fried basa is as easy as child’s play and can be churned out in a jiffy without much of a fuss.
The ingredient list is also very humble and uses the very regular items which are almost always available in anyone’s pantry.
You may spike up your fried fish by adding some kick of cayenne pepper or some hot sauce; this recipe is very much customizable.
Only thing to remember is to use a soft fish fillet like basa or cod or haddock. Tilapia may not work very well in this.
Also, if using frozen fillets, make sure to thaw them before dipping into the batter; if you don’t, the extra moisture released from the ice will ruin both the outer coating as well as the texture of the fish fillet.
I hope you like this fishy affair as much as we did and let us know how it turned out! Enjoy!
More delicious Basa fish recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Boneless Basa fillet – 2
- All-purpose flour (Maida) – 1 cup
- Egg – 2
- Milk – 1 cup
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable oil – 1 tsp + more for shallow frying
- Freshly crushed black pepper – ½ tsp or more as per taste
- Wash the fish fillet well. I used frozen fillet, so I had to thaw them completely before starting. Season the fillet with pinch of salt on both sides.
- In a big bowl, combine the flour, eggs, milk, salt [approximately a little less than ½ teaspoon will do] and 1 teaspoon of oil.
- Whisk them well to make a thick and smooth batter. The batter must be very smooth without any lumps. Consistency should be such that it should adhere to the fish fillet covering it all sides and does not drip off completely. [See notes below for more details.]
- Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan. I didn’t deep fry my fish; I did shallow frying which worked quite well.
- Dip a fillet into the batter. Take it out, let the excess batter drip off and when the oil is quite hot, tip in the batter coated fish on the pan. If you find that the batter is flowing out of the fillet, take a little amount of batter from the bowl using a spoon and smear it on the top of the fillet. Do not move the fish for 2 minutes and let it cook on medium-low flame.
- When the bottom side of the fillet turns golden browns after about 5 minutes on medium flame, carefully flip the fillet and fry the other side till it turns golden brown. It will take around 5 to 6 minutes each side but it also depends on the thickness of the fillets you are using. Mine took about 6 minutes each side. To check the doneness, take a toothpick and prick the fish in the middle. If it goes in very easily without any resistance, your fish is done. Else give it two more minutes.
- Once done, take out the the batter fried basa fillets on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen towel to soak the excess oil.
- Serve the batter fired basa warm with tartar sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Devika says
Lovely simple recipe. ..Will try today…keep posting more bong special ones that are quick n tasty…
Monica says
Delicious, thank you for sharing!
Priyanka says
Thanks a ton for letting me know! 🙂
Sriya Sarkar says
Yum! Yum! and Yum! were the reactions I received when this simply yet super-tasty basa fries were served in the last family gathering. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe.
Priyanka says
Thanks a ton! I’m so glad to hear this!! 🙂
Ady says
Really enjoyed the batter. I did put a little mild English mustard with it.
Thanks
Priyanka says
I am glad you liked it! Adding mustard is a really nice idea to add a kick to the fish! Will surely try next time! 🙂
Anonymous says
PDK ,The great cook … The dish looks so yummy..
Come up with some tasty food with Maggie and less vegetables 😛 I can only try cooking with Maggie 🙂
You know very well who am I 🙂
Love JJ.