Rolls, the wrapped rotis/parathas with meat mince, egg and even vegetables mingled with ketchup are known to be quick tasty snacks. However, when the stuffing gets substituted by fish, things get a new high. Interestingly, here the wrapping is also made of fish, sliced thin. I adopted this recipe from a well known snack corner in Kolkata. However unlike them, instead of Bhetki fish, I had to use the ‘Kabeljou’, a local sea fish as a poor substitute. It was indeed lip smacking to have the fish roll dipping in mustard sauce with a bite of salad. Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients for 3 – 4 pieces :

1. Fish fillet – 300 gm.
2. Onion (large) – 1
3. Garlic – 2 to 3 cloves
4. Ginger – 1 inch piece
5. Chopped tomato – ½
6. Chopped green chilli – 2
7. Chopped coriander leaves – 2 to 3 tbspoon heaped
8. Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
9. Red chilli powder – ½ teaspoon (optional)
10. Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon
11. Black pepper powder – 1 teaspoon
12. Lemon juice – 1 tbspoon
13. Egg – 1
14. Flour – 3 tbspoon
15. Breadcrumbs
16. Salt to taste
17. Cooking oil

Procedure :

Cut 3 or 4 thin, square/rectangular slices from the fish fillet. Marinate the slices with lemon juice, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder and salt.

Roughly chop the remaining fish.

Finely chop the onion. Make a smooth paste of ginger and garlic.

Beat the egg in a bowl by adding pinch of salt and the remaining pepper powder. Add the flour and make a lump free batter followed by adding a bit of water. The batter should neither be very thick nor be very thin.

Heat 1 tbspoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Shallow fry the chopped fish into it, adding a bit of salt. With the help of a spatula break the pieces into smaller fragments. Don’t fry it for a long time, our intention is only to cook the fish, not making a hard fry. Now transfer the fish into a bowl and keep it aside.

In the same pan heat 2 tbspoon of oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and fry till it becomes translucent. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and again fry till the onion turns brown. Now add chopped tomato, chopped green chilli, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt, fry till the tomato gets softened. Then add the fried fish and cook till oil separates from the mixture. Put the gas off, add garam masala powder and coriander leaves and give it a good stir. The end product should be a spicy,mushy fish mixture.

Now add 1 or 2 tbspoon of breadcrumbs to the fish mixture to bind it and then divide the mixture into 3 or 4 equal parts.

Now make long shaped balls from each part and wrap it with a thin slice of fish.

Now coat each wrapped fish ball first with breadcrumbs, then with the prepared batter and finally with the breadcrumbs.

Heat sufficient amount of oil in a pan for deep frying and fry the fish rolls on moderate flame till golden brown in colour.

transfer them on paper towel to absorb excess oil and serve hot with salad.