Pomfret originated from the Portuguese word “pampo”. It’s a sea water fish with a single bone and is found in Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean. They have flat bodies and deeply forked tails. Pomfret is mostly eaten as a whole fish. Either it’s fried, steamed or used in curries. Pomfret is very low in calories and fat and is high in protein which helps in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Bharlela Paplet is one of those initial recipes I learned. The recipe for stuffed Pomfret is so simple and easy to make that I think all the beginners in cooking should try it. It’s a typical Maharashtrian recipe and a healthy one. Every Aai from every household has her own version of the coconut chutney. This is Aai Girap’s version. Hope you like it.
Note : After you buy the paplet (pomfret), remove the head and make a single insertion on one side along the length of the fish. It should resemble a pocket. You can also tell the fishwali maushi to do it.
Ingredients : For 2 paplets
- 2 paplets (pomfrets) with the pocket insertion
- 1 cup fresh grated coconut
- 3-4 green chilies
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- handful of fresh coriander
- small piece of tamarind
- salt to taste
- rice flour or semolina for coating the fish
- 3 tbsp oil or as required for frying
Method :
- Wash the fish and keep aside.
- For the filling, grind together the fresh coconut, green chilies, garlic cloves, coriander, tamarind paste and salt with little bit of water. Fry this paste in a tsp of oil for few minutes to take away the rawness of the paste. Keep it aside to cool.
- Once the filling is cooled, take the fish and stuff a good amount of the filling into the insertion made. Apply some on the cover of the fish and keep it aside to marinate for around half an hour to an hour.
- Coat the fish with the semolina or rice flour and fry for about 10 minutes on a medium flame until the fish is cook and the skin of the fish is crispy.
Sprinkle some lemon juice and serve hot. Hope you like it.
Happy Cooking !!
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