Meen Pollichathu | Fish Cooked in Banana Leaf

Meen pollichathu. Fish coated in spicy masala is wrapped in banana leaf and cooked to perfection. This melt-in-your-mouth fish is one of the iconic dishes of cuisine of Kerala. Without a doubt, it’s stunning enough to be the centerpiece at your next seafood meal.

Clearly, this is the perfect recipe to celebrate the traditional cuisine of Kerala (Indian state). If you’ve ever been on a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala, you might be very familiar with this dish featuring whole fish cooked in banana leaf.

Inspired by the signature dish of my favorite restaurant in my hometown, I decided on this meen pollichathu recipe aiming to recreate one of the very classic dishes of Kerala cuisine. Traditionally, this dish is made with pearlspot (karimeen in Malayalam). Since pearlspot is not easily available here, I decided to go with sweep. Apart from pearlspot, pomfret, tilapia, salmon, black bream and small barramundi tastes amazing in this recipe.

Make sure you choose small whole fish. After you clean the fish, remove the head, and make diagonal slits on both sides. That way, the flavors of the marinade and masala will be absorbed right into the fish creating mouthwatering meen pollichathu dish.

To start with, marinate fish in a spicy mixture of ground turmeric, crushed black pepper, chili powder, lemon juice and oil. Let it sit in the refrigerator for about one hour.

Now, make the masala. Fry a few chopped shallots in oil followed by sautéing ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Fry tomatoes and spices. If the masala is too dry, add a little water to create a semi solid consistency.

Next up, to prep the banana leaf, show it over flame to make it soft and flexible. Both fresh and frozen leaves are perfect in this recipe.

You’ll also need to shallow fry the fish at this stage. Just make sure both sides are browned, don’t worry about cooking the fish. Now, place a little masala on the leaf, and top with fish and more masala.

The final step – cover fish in banana leaf, and fry. Flavor from wilted banana leaf, melt in your mouth fish, lip-smacking masala – this meen pollichathu is about to become one of your favorite ways to enjoy fish.

 

More classic fish recipes:

• Kerala Fish Curry
• Malabar Fish Roast
• Fish Molee (Kerala Fish Stew)
• Goan Fish Curry
• Fish Coconut Curry (Varutharacha Meen Curry)
• Fish Tikka Masala
• Chettinad Fish Fry
• Amritsari Fish (Indian Style Fish and Chips)
• Fish Cutlets (Indian Fish Cakes)

Yield: 2

Meen Pollichathu | Fish Cooked in Banana Leaf

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Classic meen pollichathu featuring fish cooked in banana leaf

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Fry fish:

• 2 whole pearlspot (karimeen). (For other options see notes), cleaned
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (turmeric powder)
• 1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• Juice of half of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp oil (coconut oil preferred)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp oil, to fry fish (coconut oil preferred)

Masala:

• 1 tbsp oil (coconut oil preferred)
• 10 shallots, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1” fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 large green chili, slit
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (turmeric powder)
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander (coriander powder)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• Salt to taste

Meen pollichathu:

• 2 banana leaves
• Banana string or twine, to tie the fish parcels
• 2 tbsp oil (coconut oil preferred)

Instructions

1. Clean fish, remove heads and make diagonal slits on both sides of the fish. Set aside.
2. To make the marinade, combine together ground turmeric, crushed black peppercorns, red chili powder, oil and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with salt. Add fish. Coat in masala. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
3. To shallow fry fish, place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add fish. Fry until both sides are browned. Drain on an absorbent towel. Set aside.
4. To make masala, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
5. Add tomatoes. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until soft and mushy. Add ground turmeric, ground coriander and red chili powder. Season with salt. Sauté, stirring, for a few seconds. Add a little water to get semi solid consistency. Bring to boil. Simmer for 2 minutes or until the sauce gets a semisolid consistency. Remove from heat. Set aside.
6. If using fresh banana leaf, show it over the flame until it’s wilted and turn soft. If using frozen banana leaf, thaw completely.
7. Place a banana leaf on the work surface. Place 1 tbsp masala in the center of the leaf. Place a fish on the masala. Add more masala on the fish. Fold the leaf to cover the fish. Secure with a twine or banana string. Set aside. Repeat with the other fish.
8. To make meen pollichathu, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place fish parcels in the pan. Cook, covered, for about 5-6 minutes, turning once, until fish is cooked through.

Notes

- Although pearlspot or karimeen is used in the classic recipe, you can also use pomfret. If they are not easily available, go with sweep (the fish I’ve used in this recipe), black bream, small barramundi, salmon, or tilapia
- Banana leaves are available from Asian grocery stores

Nutrition Information

Yield

2

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 600Total Fat 57gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 40gCholesterol 130mgSodium 1921mgCarbohydrates 122gFiber 17gSugar 59gProtein 58g

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