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You are here: Home / Kerala Recipes / Karimeen Pollichathu / Kerala-Style Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaves

Karimeen Pollichathu / Kerala-Style Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaves

November 23, 2015 18 Comments

I was recently back home in Kottayam for three weeks and my bro was also there on a vacation from Dubai. So was my sis from Trichy. So all of us were craving for some karimeen pollichathu, a toddy shop specialty which is basically pomfret or pearl fish cooked wrapped in banana leaves. The monsoons have been acting up this year and the toddy shops were making use of the opportunity and selling one fish at 150rs. Considering we are around 6-7 members in the house, we decided to cut the costs by preparing this at home. Mom immediately turned to me since she was not very comfy with making it on her own. I have experimented with Sardines/Mathi when I was in college, but with karimeen, one couldn’t afford to experiment and mess up since it’s an expensive fish. Anyway, I decided to give it a shot and at the end of it all, we were all pretty happy πŸ™‚

Karimeen Pollichathu / Pearl Spot Fish Wrapped in Banana LeavesThe marinated fish ready to be wrapped and fried


KARIMEEN POLLICHATHU

Ingredients:

Pearl Spot / Karimeen – 4, cleaned and slit on the side (you can also use pomfret)
For the spice paste:
Shallots – 10
Onions – 1 big
Ginger – a 2″ piece
Garlic – 10 cloves
Chilly powder – 1 tbsp
Pepper powder – 2 tsp
Vinegar – 2 tsp
Curry leaves – 2 strands
Salt – to taste

Coconut oil – for frying
Tender banana leaves – to wrap the fish in while cooking

How I Made It:

1. Make a paste with all the ingredients mentioned.

2. Marinate the fish well in the paste. It may not completely stick to the fish, but make sure that it is mostly covered.

3. Place the fish in the banana leaf and wrap gently.

4. Pour some oil in a wok. Gently place the wrapped fish in, close with a lid and cook on a low fire till both sides are done. This took me around 30 mins, per fish.

Garnish with onion rings, tomatoes, cucumber and a piece of lime.

Karimeen Pollichathu / Pearl Spot Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaves

The same recipe may be followed by big-sized sardines too, but I am not sure if it will come out well for canned sardines. I have only used fesh sardines and they come out nice and soft. The masala makes sure that the unpleasant smell of sardines is completely masked.

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By nags Filed Under: Kerala Recipes, Seafood Recipes, Uncategorized

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deepa Jose

    April 21, 2011 at 9:37 am

    Hi Sis,gonna try this for coming easter!! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    April 1, 2010 at 2:03 pm

    i live in the uk and we cannot get banana leaves here.is there an alternate option?

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    August 15, 2009 at 5:18 am

    this is definitely not meen polichathu… dont try to fool people…..

    Reply
  4. Nags

    August 15, 2009 at 12:11 pm

    anon – this is how i make meen pollichathu. if you have a different recipe that's not my concern. this is a site where i feature recipes that i try, my way. if that bothers you, feel free to close the window and get out.

    Reply
  5. Anonymous

    July 15, 2008 at 9:06 am

    i live in the uk and we cannot get banana leaves here.is there an alternate option?

    Reply
  6. Nags

    July 15, 2008 at 9:08 am

    u can try using aluminium baking foil and bake it instead of fry. its healthier that way too! the flavour will be different but definitely yummy πŸ™‚ try it and let me know

    Reply
  7. The Scatterbrain

    May 29, 2008 at 4:53 am

    aaah! Karimeen Pollichathu! definitely droolworthy! I was surprised to learn that this recipe originated from the toddy shops of kerala! I have only had this at posh 5star weddings and such!
    Am definitely going to try this out… but where i will find good karimeen is the question! Am no good at shopping for fish!

    Reply
  8. SteamyKitchen

    October 27, 2007 at 12:59 pm

    You are right…that last fish is UGLY!!!!

    πŸ˜‰

    xoxo
    jaden

    Reply
  9. Seena

    September 5, 2007 at 11:41 am

    Hey Nags,
    Thanks for visiting simple and delicious!
    went through all recipes..
    Nice Pollichathu recipe, haven’t tried this with Karimeen. It was good with mackerals..
    Nice blog, with simple recipes..loved it..

    Reply
  10. zlamushka

    August 28, 2007 at 7:48 am

    Hi Nags,

    I came her from your sisterΒ΄s blog. Now I see that great coooking runs in the family. I loved the story behind the grinning fish. You guys did a very good job πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  11. Jeena

    August 16, 2007 at 4:55 pm

    Hi Nags I left a message on Spicy Chili blog I didn’t know it was your sister. πŸ™‚ The fish looks lovely I may try this recipe but with a diffferent type of fish. Which other fish goes well with this recipe and I can’t get bananna leaves – what could I use instead? Thanks πŸ™‚

    Reply
  12. Sukanya Ramkumar

    August 16, 2007 at 10:11 pm

    O o I love fish…..This is amazing…Mouth watering one…Love it….Nice picture….

    Reply
  13. Sirisha Kilambi

    August 14, 2007 at 11:20 pm

    The pics are awesome…i do not eat fish….But the picture is tempting enough πŸ™‚

    Reply
  14. Saju

    August 14, 2007 at 10:13 pm

    really looks delicious, I came here via Bharthy’s blog. Great story there

    Reply
  15. Asha

    August 14, 2007 at 1:42 pm

    What a great dish, perfectly grilled.YUM!:)

    Reply
  16. Bharathy

    August 14, 2007 at 11:23 am

    Every one has to learn the story behind this from me..:)…Love the post..Hugs to u for posting the same..

    Reply
  17. Jyothi

    August 14, 2007 at 5:20 pm

    Just perfectly grilled fish. I love it. Thanks for sharing your version. Happy independence day.

    Reply
  18. Mallugirl

    August 14, 2007 at 12:29 pm

    nice one.. u probably gave the toddy shops a run for their money!

    Reply

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I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

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