Crispy Fried Mandeli with Semolina Coating

Last Updated on October 9, 2020 by Babita

Crispy Fried Mandeli (also spelled as Mandli) is a fish recipe that you will absolutely fall in love with. It’s crispy texture and spicy taste is rich in flavor and makes it perfect as a side or an appetizer.

Mandeli fish is one of my favorite fish. It is a tiny fish with firm, white flesh and tiny bones. Mandeli is extremely flavorful and tastes well when fried or used in curry. It almost has the flavor of squid. Although you can find this fish easily in Mumbai, in New Jersey it is not available fresh. I was surprised to find it in the frozen seafood aisle of our local Asian store and grabbed 2 packets. These fish are flash frozen and shipped off to different destinations. However, I did not notice much of a difference in taste. They felt as good as fresh and taste was just as flavorful.

What fish is Mandeli and What is it’s Other name

Mandeli is actually goldspotted grenadier anchovy. Mandeli is commonly found in coastal waters of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. As you can see from the picture below they have a golden hue near their belly. These are tiny fish measuring approx 6″ to 8″ and such they can be eaten whole after they have been cleaned, processed and cooked.

How to Clean Mandeli | Mandli Fish

• The first step to cleaning Mandeli fish is to lay them flat on a cutting board and scrape off all the scales.
• The next step is the trim all the fins on the sides and also a little bit of the tail.
• After that proceed and cut of it’s head.
• Next with a scissor or a knife make a slight cut into the belly portion of the fish and remove all of the guts and discard it.
• Lastly rinse the fish inside as well as outside thoroughly with water and set aside.

Ingredients forMarinating Mandeli Fish

• 16 pcs of Mandeli fish
• 2 tbsp of chili powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp water
• salt as per taste

Other Ingredients for Crispy Fried Mandli

• 1/2 cup fine Semolina/Rava for coating
• Oil for frying
• Onion and lemon slices on the side (optional)

Process for Marinating Fish

In a mixing bowl combine chili powder, lemon juice, water and salt. Mix them well to form a paste. Coat the Mandeli fish with this paste and allow it to marinate for an hour (see picture below for reference). The ingredients list is simple and does not involve tons of items. Mandeli in general is not a smelly fish. So you don’t have to use any extra ingredients to mask the smell. Chili, salt and lemon is all you need.

Next pour the semolina/rava on a paper towel or flat plate. Lightly coat the fish on both side with semolina and set aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Once hot add about 4 to 5 fish into the oil, depending on the size of your pan. Deep fry the fish until golden brown. Drain it on a paper towel. Repeat this until all the fish has been fried.

Serve it hot with some onion and lemon slices on the side. I personally like to eat this crispy fried mandeli with some rice and daal. It is a perfect meal for me. However, you can have it as an appetizer. I will warn you that fried fish will be over in matter of seconds.

How to eat Mandeli Fish

As I mentioned above, mandeli fish is a tiny fish. It has a center bone and other tiny bones. Once the fish is cooked, you have to remove the center bone which comes off easily. As for the other tiny bones depending on the size you can eat them or pick them off while eating.

Check out my Other Seafood Recipes

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