Try this Fish Tikka recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp. ginger garlic paste
- 400 to 500 grams fish fillets
- 3/4 to 1 cup regular thick yogurt
- 1 1/2 tsp. red chili powder kashmiri is prefered
- 1/8 tsp. pepper powder
- 1/8 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tbsp. kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves (crushed) (o
- 1 to 2 tbsps. lemon juice (skip if using sour curd)
- 1/4 tsp biryani masala powder or 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder (i do not use)
- 1 tbsp. oil (can skip if you are using salmon)
- 1 to 1 1/2 tbsps. besan/ chickpea flour (optional)
- 1/2 green bell pepper cubed
- 1/2 red bell pepper or 1 tomato deseeded cubed
- 1 large onion cubed
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (3g)
- Sodium 1162.74 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Add yogurt to a cheese cloth and drain off excess water or whey. You will be left with thick yogurt. You can even hang it inside the refrigerator to make hung curd.
- Wash and peel of the skin, if cannot just proceed.
- Cut them to equal cube sized pieces, remove the moisture from them using disposable or absorbent tissues.
- Mix all the marination ingredients and marinate for at least 2 to 12 hrs.
- Soak the wooden skewers for at least 30 mins in water to prevent burning else you will have burnt skewers like mine.
- Just before you begin to bake, cube the veggies and marinate in the left over marination. Veggies at room temp, using from the fridge right away makes them soggy. I do not marinate for long as tend to lose the crunch, so I marinate just before I bake them.
- Remove the excess marinade and put them on to skewers, alternating veggies and fish. There will drippings from the meat while baking, do not forget to place a tray to collect the spills in case you use a wire rack for placing the skewers and not a tray. Otherwise it will mess up your oven.
- Preheat the oven to 240 C, bake for 10 mins and then on 180 C for another 5 to 10 mins. I suggest you to check after 15 mins.
- In between you can baste the marinade to the tikkas to prevent them from drying.
Choosing the Right Protein and Fat Content
Swapping standard white fish fillets for higher-fat varieties like salmon completely alters the marinade requirements. Salmon contains natural oils that keep the flesh moist under high heat, allowing home cooks to omit the tablespoon of added oil called for in lean fish preparations. Regardless of the protein chosen, thoroughly blotting surface moisture with paper towels prevents the dairy coating from sliding off during cooking.
Managing Yogurt Moisture and Acidity
Using regular yogurt without draining its whey results in a watery paste that steams the fish instead of browning it. Suspending the dairy in cheesecloth removes excess liquid to yield a concentrated hung curd that clings tightly to the cubes. Lemon juice adds necessary brightness, but bakers must omit this acid entirely if the curd is already sour, preventing an unpalatable bitter finish.
Thermal Control and Skewer Preparation
Wooden skewers require a minimum thirty-minute soak in cold water to prevent ignition inside a 240 C oven. Baking begins at this high temperature for ten minutes to set the exterior spices before dropping the heat to 180 C to finish cooking the interior without drying the flesh.
