Preparation:

How to wash the fish:

• Buy full mackerel fishes and wash them thoroughly with running tap water.
• Mackerel is easy to wash as it has shiny thick skin.
• Drain water completely, apply little turmeric powder 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.
• Slit the skin of the fish in 2 to 3 places on both the sides as shown in picture.

How to make marination:

• In a bowl add all the ingredients mentioned under marination except water and mix well.
• Watch salt quantity as we used some salt after washing to remove impurities.
• Add water and make it as a masala paste.
• Paste should not be too thick or too thin. Adjust water quantity accordingly.
• Apply evenly on both sides of fish. The slits will help the masala to penetrate the skin.
• Leave them aside for one hour. You can keep in refrigerator also.

Recipe to prepare Mackerel fry | Ayala fry | Bangda fish fry:

• Heat oil in a shallow frying pan or dosa tawa.
• Wait until the oil is hot enough to fry and slowly drop the marinated fishes in the pan by holding the tail.
• Keep the stove in medium flame and leave undisturbed for two mins till the bottom side get roasted.
• If your mackerel is a big variety then leave for few more minutes.
• Check by lifting the bottom side with a dosa flip/tongue in one corner. If it comes off easily and got the deep brown roasted color then carefully flip it to the other side.
• If masala sticks to the pan then keep in simmer leave few more minutes for the bottom side to roast nicely.
• Follow the same for the other side also.
• See the nice roasted texture of the fry. Wait patiently till achieving this nice brown color.
• Serve with lemon and onion slices.