Popcorn fish, call it KFC popcorn fish or McDonald's Fish Mcbites or fish nuggets....take your pick, but my kids call it popcorn fish and nothing else and I am sticking to that name. This crunchy popcorn sized fish bites are any kids delight (mine too)....what better way to enjoy the monsoons....hmmm I love the rains...monsoon means hot pakoras and samosas.....yum!
The beauty of living in Kerala is its lakes, rivers, and sea......the beach is just 6 km from where we live and yes, the lucky part is fresh fish all year round. I really cannot stand frozen fish...who wants to freeze when you get fresh fish daily or to be precise every hour, if you have time to go to the beach.....well downtown beach to be exact. Or you can wait at your doorstep for the fisherman who comes in his bicycle ...locally known as "meenkaran" fresh fish delivered at your door step every morning.....fish fry or curry for lunch???
I have been making this popcorn fish whenever Homey gets me seer fish or neymeen as it is known in my hometown, Kottayam. Boneless fish is cut into cubes and breaded.....double breaded to be exact....this breading gives the popcorn its extra crunch....each fish is coated twice in eggs and bread crumbs....so that its outer covering is crunchy and crisp....ya that is the secret of crunchy Mcbites that we get frozen here...but minus all the bad stuffs...homemade food is better any day :)
I seasoned my breadcrumbs with pepper powder and the crunchy outer covering is so flavorful and crusty......and do you know it is easy to make breadcrumbs at home......yes, you need not buy Panko breadcrumbs again ....seriously!!
Note: I used 1/4 tsp of fresh turmeric powder, purely for its health and medicinal benifits and 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri Chilly powder, as I have mentioned earlier, it has a deep red colour minus the heat.....the marianted fish looks a bit colorful because of these two additions.
Author: Nisa Homey
Ingredients:
To marinate:
Boneless fish: 300 gm, cubed (seer fish, butter fish etc)
Garlic: 3 or 4 cloves, grated.
Pepper: 1/2 tsp.
Kashmiri chilly powder: 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp.
Juice of half lime.
Salt
For the Crust
Cornflour: 1 tsp.
Egg: 1, beaten.
Breadcrumbs: About 1 1/2 cups, sometimes you need more.
Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp.
Method:
The fish is all cubed into small bite size.
Marinate the fish, with garlic, pepper, chilly powder, turmeric, lime juice, salt....keep aside for 15 min or if you are not in a hurry refrigerate overnight.
Add 1 tsp cornflour into this and mix well. (or you can dip each one in the cornflour, I prefer mixing it in as it is more easy)
I just crumbled some bread and dry grinded in a mixie/food processor to make the breadcrumbs (no toasting needed too). And one egg slightly beaten.
Season the breadcrumbs with 1 tsp of pepper or any other flavorings you prefer
Take one fish (remember it is lightly coated in cornflour) dip in egg, then coat in breadcrumbs.
Then dip the breaded fish again in egg.
And coat in breadcrumbs again...the idea is double coating the fish...this gives its crunchy crust shell.
Do the same with the remaining.....include ur kids and make this fun. Keep this in a container and refrigerate, it will keep good for 2 to 3 days, for long its better to freeze...you can fry it as and when needed....and its homemade!
Deep fry it in hot oil (try coconut oil for a change). This will fry up pretty fast as it is very small.
Serve hot.
Breaded popcorn fish....for you.....start munch'in friends :)
Did you enjoy this recipe? then there are other recipe ideas you might love, here is a few...
Finger Fish (breaded fish fingers...step by step)
Fish Roe Scrambled.(fish eggs scrambled)
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