Whole Fish Pollichathu

This is a classic Syrian Christian dish, made with pearl spot fish or karameen which are commonly found in the backwaters of Kerala. Pomfret is also often used but in the UK, I like to use sea bass or sea bream. Pollichathu means to fry or grill and there are a few simple steps before you wrap the masala and the fish in baking paper, or a banana leaf if you can find them, to cook it this way – although at home you can oven-bake the fish parcels if you prefer.