Preparation:

How to wash the fish:

• Wash the pieces thoroughly under running tap water.
• Remove all the scales properly with the back(blunt side) of knife.
• Drain water completely, apply little turmeric and salt and keep them aside. This way the impurities are killed if any on the skin area.
• This is sort of half marination and you need not wash it again.

Other preparation:

• Chop shallots.
• Peel garlic pods.
• Wash and chop tomatoes.
• Grate coconut.
• Soak tamarind in warm water.

Recipe to prepare Sankara meen kulambhu | Red snapper gravy | Chettinad fish curry:

Making fish masala paste:

• Heat oil in a shallow frying pan or kadai.
• Add coriander/dhaniya seeds, red chillies, methi seeds, sombu, jeera,pepper corns one by one and roast them in medium flame.
• Roast them until you get nice aroma. Remove from the pan and let them cool.
• Now in the same pan with the left over oil fry onions and garlic pods.
• Fry onion and garlic till golden brown color.
• Add coconut grated and fry for a minute.
• Take onion, garlic and coconut mixture separately.
• Grind the roasted spices into powder in a mixie and add onion mixture to the same jar. Add some water and grind it to a paste. Fish masala is ready.

How to make gravy:

• Heat a big deep kadai. Add gingelly oil.
• Add the items under temper.
• Add small onions, garlic and curry leaves. Fry them until golden brown color achieved.
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry till they become soft.
• Add turmeric.
• Add chilli powder.
• Filter tamarind juice and add it in. Discard the pulp. Let it boil for five minutes till raw flavor of tamarind goes off.
• Now add the fish masala we prepared. Mix well.
• Add enough water to achieve correct consistency of the gravy.
• Add salt.
• Close the lid and let the gravy boil for ten minutes.
• After ten minutes the gravy is cooked well and the entire raw flavor of tamarind is gone. See the oil floating on top.
• Now drop fish pieces one by one carefully into the gravy. Drop the pieces without crowding separately.
• Do not mix with ladle or spatula.
• Keep in medium flame immediately and close the lid.
• Cooking time for any kind of fish is very less. Less than five mins for most of the fish varieties.
• After 3 to 5 minutes open and check. The color of the flesh will turn white. This means it is cooked. Switch off and leave undisturbed for 30 mins.
• Serve with hot steamed rice.