Desi flavours have this wild superpower—they can turn literally anything into a toothsome and mouthwatering dish. And when it comes to seafood? Game over. It doesn’t remain just fish or prawns anymore—it transforms into a smoky, spicy, tangy goodness that tastes like home, festivals, and those random Sunday feasts, all rolled into one.
If you love seafood, these six recipes will have you drooling over seafood even more.
6 Flavourful Desi Seafood Dishes That Bring The Ocean To Your Plate
1. Goan Prawn Curry
This is a classic coastal curry from Goa. The prawns are cooked in a slightly spicy, tangy gravy made with coconut milk, tamarind, and red chilli powder. It’s not overly complicated but tastes really fresh and balanced.
The prawns come out tender, and the coconut milk adds a smoothness that cuts the heat nicely. It’s usually eaten with plain rice — a perfect dish for Sunday lunch.
2. Bengali Fish Curry
Maacher Jhol is every Bengali household’s go-to recipe. For this dish, freshwater fish like Rohu or Katla are the usual picks. To make this tasty recipe, all you have to do is fry the fish slightly, then simmer it in a thin gravy with potatoes, tomatoes, turmeric, and green chillies.
This dish is typical mummy ke haath ka khana, there’s nothing fancy here, just satisfying flavours, that’s all!
3. Meen Pollichathu
Before you get all panicky about the name, it’s basically Kerala-style fish wrapped in banana leaf. In this dish, the fish is marinated in a spice mix with ingredients like red chilli, turmeric, and curry leaves. It is then wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked.
The fish gets a subtle smoky aroma because of the cooking process and is super tasty!
4. Chettinad Crab Masala
You must have heard of chettinad dosa when you visit authentic South-Indian restaurants, right? It might sound like one complicated dish but it’s actually not.
Here, the crab is cooked in a dry roasted spice mix, which makes the dish spicy and aromatic. Since the crab meat is already slightly sweet, the flavours complement it well. Try it and see how you’ll love it!
5. Fish Molee
It’s basically a mild stew made with fish simmered gently in coconut milk, with some spices. It’s lighter than most curries and has a slightly sweet, creamy texture. People in Kerala love it and often eat it with appam or rice. It’s light, flavourful, and tasty — what more can you want from a dish, right?
6. Malvani Fish Fry
This is a popular fish dish from Maharashtra’s Malvan region. In this dish, all you have to do is marinate the mix in a mix of spices like dried kokum, garlic, and chilli powder. It is then coated with sooji and is shallow-fried.
It’s basically a pakoda but seafood-style. It’s eaten as a snack or with rice with some salad on the side.
When in Goa, Kerala, or Maharashtra, make sure you try these authentic desi seafood curries because they’re absolutely toothsome!
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