Surmai is a local fish inherent to the Indian Ocean. It is also commonly known as Indo-Pacific King Mackerel or Seer fish. Locally, it is the most popular fish in Kerala. It is widely known as ‘Neymeen’ in South Kerala, ‘Aiykoora’ in North Kerala and ‘Vanjaram’ in Tamil Nadu.
Health benefits of Surmai
Seer Fish is low in calories, low in carb content, high in protein, and has essential fatty acids. Besides being protein-rich, it also provides a good amount of calcium and phosphorus. The fish has negligible amounts of sodium and is suitable for people on a low sodium diet.
Seer is rich in omega-3-fatty acids, vitamin B12, and low in cholesterol, So, you can easily include a serving of this health bullet in your diet!
What is the best way to enjoy Surmai?
Surmai is known as King Fish for a reason. No fish beats its smooth and succulent, fleshy texture, especially when cooked fresh. It takes in the spices easily and can be a treat in any form.
Popular ways to cook Surmai include deep frying seer fish steaks, making seer fish curry, neymeen pickles, and so on. Surmai also finds use in salads and soups. Since there is only one central bone in the whole fish, many find it easy to grill, bake or smoke the fish and add a healthy twist to this mouth-watering delicacy. At Licious, all our fish and seafood is fresh, never frozen. Our meat technicians work hard to cut, clean, descale and de-gut the fish for you. You don’t need to do any prep, just open the pack and use your fresh Seer as is!
Some popular recipes for Surmai fish are
Tawa fried Surmai: One of the easiest and most delicious recipes is Tawa fried Surmai. You can find all the necessary ingredients in a reasonably stocked kitchen. Marinate the fish steaks with a mix of turmeric, chilli powder and generous amounts of lemon juice.
Prepare a second coat of marinade by grinding onions, ginger-garlic paste, black peppercorns, red chilli powder, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and salt together in a blender.
Apply this marinade on the previously marinated steaks and store this in the fridge for at least half an hour. When ready, shallow fry both sides of the steak evenly for the best fried-fish experience! Serve it with the all-time comfort food – daal chawal (rice and pulses)! You can also have the fried fish as starters when enjoying a house party with friends or craving some good fried fish with your drinks.
Seer fish curry: Make this tamarind-flavoured gravy by grinding together onions, tomatoes, grated coconut, garlic, Kashmiri red chillies, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and whole tamarind. You can also use tamarind paste.
Keep the Surmai steaks marinated with turmeric separately. In a frying pan, heat some oil and add a few mustard seeds. Once they start spluttering, add the ground paste and stir for some time.
Add the Surmai steaks, add salt and water and allow to boil for 15-20 mins. You have made the best Surmai fish curry ever!
In Conclusions
You can buy fresh Surmai on Licious, and when you do, you can rest assured that only the best quality fish will be delivered to you!
All products at Licious are brought in fresh from the coasts and contain no chemicals or added hormones.
If you order fresh Seer from Licious, show off your skills. Snap a few photos and tag us on Instagram with #MadeWithLicious. We would love to explore your culinary creativity.
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