Fried Fish with Ata Dindin

Ingredients

• 2 big fresh tilapia or croaker fish, cleaned, scaled and slashed
• OR 4 medium mackerel (Titus) steaks
• Lemon juice and salt for cleaning
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground Cameroon pepper
• 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying FOR THE ATA DINDIN SAUCE:
• 4 big ripe tomatoes, blended
• 2 Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
• 3 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
• 3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
• 2 big handfuls of ground crayfish
• 2 seasoning cubes, crushed
• Salt to taste

Method

1. 01

   Cleaning and Seasoning the Fish. Clean, scale and gut the fish. Rub with lemon juice and salt, rinse thoroughly. Make deep diagonal slashes on both sides. Mix curry, garlic powder, Cameroon pepper, crushed seasoning cubes and salt into a paste and rub over the entire fish, inside the slashes and cavity. Marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. 02

   Frying the Fish. Heat enough vegetable oil for deep-frying in a large, deep pan to moderate-to-hot heat. Carefully lower the marinated fish into the hot oil. Fry for 5 to 7 minutes per side for whole fish (3 to 4 minutes for steaks) until the skin is deep golden-brown, crispy and the fish is cooked through. The fish should be very crispy on the outside — Nigerian fried fish is never lightly fried.

3. 03

   Making the Ata Dindin. Heat 3 cooking spoons of oil in a pan. Fry blended tomatoes, Tatashe and Atarodo for 20 to 25 minutes until deeply cooked and oil floats on top. Add ground crayfish, seasoning and salt. Cook 5 more minutes.

4. 04

   Serving. Drain the fried fish on paper towels. Plate the fish and pour hot Ata Dindin sauce generously over and around. Serve immediately while the fish skin is still crispy.

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• Ofada Rice with Ayamase Sauce75 min
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