Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
Goan mackerel stuffed with a fiery, tangy red chilli and tamarind paste, then shallow-fried golden. Bold, vibrant and a true coastal classic.
Recheado masala fish is one of Goa's great fried dishes: whole mackerel split open, packed with a bright red spice paste, then shallow-fried until the skin turns crisp. The paste leans hard on Kashmiri chillies, vinegar and warm spices, so each bite is sour, fiery and aromatic all at once. Eat it with plain rice and a wedge of lime, the way it is served along the coast.
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Prep 30 min
Cook 15 min
Total 45 min
Medium
Scale:
- 4 Mackerel
- 18 dried Red Chilli
- 1 inch Ginger
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 1.5 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- Cinnamon Stick
- 4 Cloves
- 2 Cardamom
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 marble sized Tamarind Ball
- 2.5 tbsp Vinegar
- for frying Oil
Tags:
Fish Spicy
Preparation
- Soak all the spices, ginger, garlic, tamarind pulp and Kashmiri chillies (everything bar the oil) in the vinegar.
- Stir in the sugar and salt.
- Add the turmeric powder.
- Mix it all together and leave to marinate for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Grind to a soft, smooth paste, adding a little more vinegar only if you must. Keep it thick or it won't cling to the fish.
- Rinse the fish, slit it down the centre and cut a few incisions across the top.
- Push the paste into the centre and the incisions, then rub it all over the outside. Leave the fish to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a shallow pan and, once it is good and hot, shallow-fry the stuffed mackerel.
- Fry until both sides are golden brown.
- Serve hot with salad, lime wedges, rice and curry. No Kashmiri chillies? Reach for bedgi chillies or Kashmiri red chilli powder. White or coconut vinegar both work, and any spare paste keeps in the fridge.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Grind the paste thick rather than runny, otherwise it slides off the fish in the pan.
- Give the stuffed fish at least half an hour to sit so the spices work into the flesh.
- Get the oil properly hot first, or the fish will stick and steam instead of crisping.
- Whatever paste is left over keeps for weeks in the fridge and works just as well with prawns.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a sour, spicy Goan paste of Kashmiri chillies, vinegar, garlic and warm spices, used most often to stuff fish before frying.
Bedgi chillies or Kashmiri red chilli powder give you the same deep colour without too much heat. Kashmiri chillies are valued precisely for that vivid red and gentle warmth.
Not at all. Mackerel is the classic choice, but pomfret, sardines or any firm fish that fries well will do the job.
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