Kerala fish pickle is the bomb. Really. If you love seafood and you haven’t tried the Kerala version of fish pickle or meen achar, you are truly missing out. Now, the bottled fish pickle you get in supermarkets in Kerala are a bit too heavily preserved so if you want the real deal, make some at home because it’s really easy.
As a spoilt third child with a very active mom, I never really make fish pickle myself. On visits to Kottayam, a couple days before my return flight, Amma sources some good firm-fleshed fish (usually King fish or neimeen) and fills up a large glass bottle of homemade Kerala fish pickle for me. I then freeze it upon reaching Singapore and use it for many months. My mom refuses to use too many preservatives in her fish pickle so it doesn’t have a very long shelf-life. Freezing helps with this and I take out a small amount and keep it refrigerated, helping myself now and then until it runs out. Then I refill it.
Anyway, there was in-between dry spell when I hadn’t been to Kottayam in a while and I was really craving some good Kerala meen achar. Tried a bottle of pickle from Mustafa stores and it just wasn’t the same so I set out on this task to make it myself. Got the recipe from Amma (she refused to give it to me saying “no need to make it yourself” but finally relented) and I realised how easy it really is.
More pickle awesomeness from my mom’s kitchen. Click on pictures below for recipe.
- 250 gm of cubed King fish, or any firm-fleshed fish
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ cup oil
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (uluva)
- 2-3 tsp freshly ground ginger garlic paste
- 2-3 green chillies, slit (optional)
- 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
- A few curry leaves
- 2.5 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (see notes)
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- Salt as needed
- Wash and clean the fish pieces. I usually buy the King fish in steak pieces and cube them myself.
- Place the fish pieces in a bowl and add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder along with some salt
- Mix well and set aside
- Pound or grind the ginger and garlic together. Making it fresh is key to get a really yummy fish pickle so don't skimp on this step
- Now in the ½ cup oil, fry the fish until it's crispy on the outside
- Drain and set aside
- In the remaining oil, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds
- As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the ginger garlic paste
- Saute and lower the heat
- Then add the curry leaves, green chillies, garlic pieces, and Kashmiri chilli powder. Mix well
- Add the fried fish, mix well, and add more salt as needed
- When the fish pieces are well mixed with the spices, add the vinegar
- If you want more gravy in your pickle, add some water at this stage and bring to the boil
- Remove from heat and set aside
- Cool completely and then store in air tight glass jars in the refrigerator
- This pickle stays fresh if refrigerated for about 2 weeks. If you want to keep it longer, freeze a portion and take out as needed
Step by Step Kerala Fish Pickle Recipe
Wash and clean the fish pieces.Place the fish pieces in a bowl and add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder along with some salt.
Mix well and set aside
Pound or grind the ginger and garlic together. Making it fresh is key to get a really yummy fish pickle so don’t skimp on this step
Now in the 1/2 cup oil, fry the fish until the fish is cooked yet soft. Don’t fry it until it’s crispy and fully cooked.
Drain and set aside
In the remaining oil, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds
As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies (if using)
Saute and lower the heat. Then add the curry leaves, green chillies, and Kashmiri chilli powder. Mix well
Add the fried fish, mix well, and add more salt as needed
When the fish pieces are well mixed with the spices, add the vinegar
If you want more gravy in your pickle, add some water at this stage and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and set aside
Cool completely and then store in air tight glass jars in the refrigerator
This pickle stays fresh if refrigerated for about 2 weeks. If you want to keep it longer, freeze a portion and take out as needed.
For Kerala fish pickle recipe in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
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