Kilimeen Varuthatu

Pink Perch is such a beautiful fish, with its light pink hue and shimmering skin. It has a firm texture, which makes it an excellent fish to fry, and a slightly sweet flavour. The fish is also quite small and can very  This preparation is a Keralite way of making the fish, and generally involves wrapping the fish in banana leaves and frying on high heat. However that's quite a messy process, and the whole fish (with its skin-on) can just as easily be shallow fried in a pan on medium-high.

Ingredients

• 2 whole pink perches, scaled and cleaned
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
•  1 tsp pepper
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Clean and pat dry the pink perch, and make deep slits in fish, on both sides.
2. Add the salt and turmeric to the fish and rub into the fish, particularly into the slits.
3. Toss the onion, ginger, garlic, pepper and red chilli powder into a pestle and smash down into a thick paste.
4. Add the paste to the fish, and rub into the flesh. Leave aside to marinade for an hour.
5. Heat the oil in a pan, and once hot, add the curry leaves. 
6. Once the leaves stop sputtering, add the fish and lower the heat to medium-high.
7. Cook on both sides, till the fish is completely cooked through. It should take around 1-2 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the fish.
8. Serve up, with a squeeze of lime.