Fish Chop

What can I say about this appetizer that isn't too dramatic? It's delicious, flavorful and I could eat it forever.

It's essentially a bread-crumb coated appetizer that is crisp and crunchy on the outside and contains a soft potato and fish filling on the inside. Think of fish sticks, but better!

I kid you not that I end up eating 5-6 of these at a party in lieu of dinner. It's that good.

Ingredients

Tilapia Fillet; 4 pieces

Turmeric

8 small red potatoes

1 tablespoon Lemon juice

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, grated

Half-inch ginger, grated

3-4 green chilies, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garam masala

3-4 mint leaves, chopped

1/4 cup coriander leaves; chopped

Salt, to taste

Bread Crumbs

Flour

Water

Directions

1. Boil red potatoes. Once boiled, remove the skin and mash the potatoes.

2. Wash the fish. Marinate with salt, turmeric, half tablespoon of lemon juice and black pepper for 10 minutes.

3. Fry the fish with a little oil until cooked (golden brown). After cooked, mash the fish fillet.

4. In a separate skillet, put some oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and green chili. Fry until the onion is soft (approximately 6-8 minutes)

5. Add grated garlic and ginger to the skillet. Fry for another 2-3 minutes (until the masala smell arrives)

6. Add the fish and mix well with the masala.

7. Add chopped coriander and mints leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes

8. Add garam masala. Mix well to make sure the flavor is evenly distributed.

9. Add the mashed potatoes, mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add remainder (half tablespoon) of the lemon juice. Mix well.

10. Add salt, to taste. Keep the fish filling separately.

11. In a platter, take a chunk of the fish filling and shape it into an oval or a flat patty-like shape using your hands. Repeat until all the filling has been used up.

12. In a small bowl, take 1 cup flour and add water to make a batter. It shouldn't be too thick or too thin in consistency. Add a pinch of salt to the batter.

13. Dip the "chop" in the batter and roll in bread crumbs. Using your palm, make the shape tight and condense. If there is too much air in the filling or shape, the chop will fall apart when fried.

14. Heat oil in a kadhai or wok. When the oil is hot, place the fish balls in the oil. Immediately reduce the temperature to medium-heat and cook until well cooked or golden brown in color. Before cooking the second batch of fish balls, make sure to put the temperature back to high and repeat the process.