Fish Cutlets/ Cakes

This recipe for fish cutlets has been in my family for three generations. It is a wonderful recipe that goes good as a starter or as a side to the main dish. My kids love to eat them as mini sandwiches. I have tweaked this recipe a little to suit my family.

My grandmother and mother used way more onions and green chilies than I have. Lemon juice was traditionally used. Also, they steamed fresh fish with bones in a steamer. Then once it cools they would separate the flesh from the bones and mash them up before proceeding with the recipe. This is a tedious and time- consuming process but the taste was worth it.

I, on the other hand use canned tuna in water. Its much quicker and just takes a few minutes to drain the water and mash the fish. If you have time and can source fresh fish, do try the above method at least once.

Another thing about this recipe is we don’t use bread crumbs to coat the cutlets. They are just dipped in egg and fried. Just make sure the patties hold together well. If they don’t, then add a tablespoon or two of the egg in the fish mixture and mix well. That should work.

Ingredients:

Canned Tuna in water 24 oz, drained well and mashed

Minced Onions ½ cup

Chopped Cilantro 2 tablespoons

Minced Green Chili 1

Garlic paste 1 tsp

Ginger paste 3/4^th tsp

Chili powder to taste

Cumin powder ¼ tsp

Garam masala powder ¼ tsp

Turmeric powder, a pinch

Tomato paste 1 tsp, or ketchup

Salt to taste

Oil

Eggs 1 to 2, well beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper

Drain the Tuna real well and mash it with your fingers until there are no large lumps.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the minced onions. Fry until they are almost brown. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for thirty seconds. You can add a tablespoon of water to prevent the ingredients from burning. Add all the spices, green chili and tomato paste. Add the Tuna and mix well. Just heat through for minute. Add salt and mix. Once the mixture has cooled down shape them into oval shaped patties. If the mixture is too dry and doesn’t hold, add a tablespoon or two of the egg, mix well and shape.

Heat about four to five tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Dip each cutlet in the egg and place them carefully in the skillet. Fry on both the sides until browned.

For a video version of this recipe go to :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1srwluiFqUc