5 Easy Dry Fish Recipe You Can Try Under 20 Minute

Dried fish is a healthy source of proteins and healthy fats such as long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids. With variety such as dry loitta, dried penguins, dry shutki, and dry stockfish, there’s a lot you can experiment with. 

The quality of fish you’re consuming is a big influencer of the benefits you get out of your dry fish recipe. Therefore, you should buy dry fish from authentic sources such as Shinjuku Halal Food.  

Having a fish-centric meal will always leave you feeling full, satisfied, and healthy. So, let us prove how fun cooking fish is with some quick and easy dry fish recipes you can try at home!

1. Dried Shrimp Patties

Dried shrimp patties are an exquisite blend of flavor and crunchiness, especially when dipped in a red sauce with cactus. This simple recipe will take you about 20 minutes to prepare and will serve six people.

Ingredients 

• 2 oz. Cameron dry shrimp
• 5 Guajillo peppers 
• 2 Arbol peppers 
• 1 plum tomato 
• 6 saltine crackers 
• ½ cup oil 
• 3 eggs 
• 2 garlic cloves 
• ½ teaspoon cumin 
• 1 teaspoon oregano 
• 1 small cilantro branch 
• 2 ½ cups chopped nopales 
• Salt and pepper 

Directions 

• Place the Arbol peppers, guajillo peppers, and plum tomato in a medium saucepan with water over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes until they are cooked and soft. 
• Toast the shrimp lightly on medium meat in a skillet while the tomatoes and peppers cook. Only turn the shrimp once and cook for about 1-2 minutes on one side. You can remove the shrimp’s legs and head once it is slightly crunchy. 
• Process the crackers and shrimp in a blender until they form a fluffy powder. 
• Beat the eggs into a fluffy batter and pour over the shrimp and cracker powder. Season the mix with some salt, but only use a little since the shrimps are already salty. 
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan and place spoonful scoops of the batter in the hot oil. Shape them with a wooden spatula as they cook. 
• Cook the patties for about two minutes for each side and allow even cooking. Once they are cooked, place them on a cooling rack. 
• Place the tomato and pepper mix into a blender along with cumin and garlic and process until you get a thick and smooth sauce. 
• Cook the sauce in a skillet for about 5 minutes and add cooked nopales and continue stirring. 
• Add the dried shrimp patties and top with a cilantro branch and seasonings. 

2. Loitta Shutki 

Loitta Shutki is a traditional and flavorful dish from Bangladesh. This delicious meal will take about an hour to prepare and is served best with rice.

Ingredients 

• 12-15 dried loitta fish
• 2 tea-cups chopped onion 
• 2 crushed garlic cloves 
• 5 chopped green chilies 
• ½ cup mustard oil 
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste 

Directions 

• Chop off the heads and then chop the dried loitta into one-inch pieces. Boil them in salted water for about 20 minutes until soft yet firm. 
• Transfer the boiled fish to a bowl and cover it for about 30 minutes. Clean the fish and run your fingers over them to remove all the scales without disintegrating them. You will need to repeat this process thrice before transferring the fish to a clean bowl. 
• Heat the mustard oil in a wok on medium flame and add garlic. Add onions, green chilies. Red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder, and some water and sauté well until the onions are soft. 
• Add the dried loitta and cover the wok. Allow it to cook on medium heat for about ten minutes. Stir the dish every two minutes to avoid burning. 
• Uncover the wok and sauté continuously for 10 minutes until the oil leaves the sides of the wok. 
• Add more salt to taste if needed and allow it to cook for another two minutes. 
• Serve hot with steamed rice. 

3. Mammolese Stockfish 

Make this historical and easy Italian stockfish stew in just 45 minutes. This dry fish recipe will serve four people!

Ingredients 

• 1.3 kg dried stockfish
• 1 kg potatoes
• 500 gm peeled tomatoes 
• 3 red chili peppers 
• 2 red onions 
• 2 tbsp pitted olives 
• 1 tbsp desalted capers 
• Extra-virgin olive oil 
• Salt to taste 

Directions 

• Peel and cut the potatoes into four wedges and cut the dried stockfish into 1-2-inch pieces. 
• Cut the onions in 0.25-inch slices and sauté them in a wok with 5 tbsp of olive oil for 2-3 minutes. 
• Add tomatoes or tomato sauce to the pan and cook for five minutes over medium heat. 
• Add the potatoes to the mix and cook for another 8-9 minutes and keep adding some water if the sauce feels too dry. 
• Season with salt according to your preference before adding the stockfish. 
• Add 3 tbsp olive oil, stockfish, 1 tbsp desalted capers, and chili peppers to the pan and cook for about 20 minutes while stirring every 2-3 minutes. 
• When the potatoes are cooked, season the dish with salt, thyme, and other seasonings of your choice and serve hot with steamed rice.  

4. Karuvadu Varuval 

This recipe is sure to water your mouth as you fry the fish into a breathtaking blend of South Indian species. With only mild spiciness, this recipe is sure to be your family’s next favorite. You can prepare three servings of Karuvadu Varuval in under 20 minutes. 

Ingredients 

• 7-8 pieces of dry kaski shutki
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• ½ tsp turmeric 
• Salt to taste

Directions 

• Wash the fish very diligently to make sure that you can remove the dirt easily. Make sure that you are able to get rid of any excess soil that might have accumulated. 
• Soak the fish for about 20 minutes and then wash it again. By this time, all the dirt should be completely off the fish.
• Carefully dab the fish with tissue paper and make sure that it is absolutely dry. 
• Take a wok and heat the mustard oil over medium heat. Wait for it to get warm enough to be ready to cook.you can know that the oil is ready if you can see some steam coming off the sides. 
• Once again, make sure that the fish is completely dry since you do not want the oil to splatter with water once you put the fish in the wok. Carefully place the fish in the wok and let it fry. 
• Turn the fish after about one minute. 
• Keep turning the fish from side to side until both sides are evenly cooked and have a warm and brown texture on them. 
• Allow the fish to cook until all the oil is absorbed. 
• Once the fish is almost ready and the oil is gone, drizzle some salt and turmeric on the fish and toss from side to side for a minute until the fish absorbs all of it. 
• Allow the fish to cool and eat the dish like a pickle. 

5. Bombil Bharta 

Whether you want to eat it standalone or enjoy it with rice or chapati, Bombil Bharta can be enjoyed in many ways. As a dish originating from West Bengal, there’s no doubt about how spicy and flavorful this dish is going to be. What’s best is that it takes only about 20 minutes to prepare a serving for four! 

Ingredients 

• 500 gm dried loitta fish
• 2 tsp chicken masala 
• 1 chopped tomato 
• 3 chopped large onions 
• 11-12 garlic cloves 
• 1 tsp cumin 
• 1 large lemon
• 1 inch grated ginger 
• 1 tsp coriander powder 
• 4-5 chopped green chillies 
• Salt to taste

Directions 

• Wash the fish thoroughly and marinate it in salt, turmeric, and fresh lime juice 
• Steam the fish by adding the mariated mix in a wok with a little oil
• Steam till it is soft enough to remove the bones. Keep it aside after removing the bones.
• Add some oil to a wok and dry the onion, masala, and garlic until the onion starts to look golden-brown. 
• Add the ginger and tomato until the mix releases some oil from the sides. 
• Stir the gravy until you can feel a spicy aroma and the tomatoes look cooked. 
• Add the fish to the mix and mash everything together until the fish ceases to exist in separate pieces and blend into the gravy. 
• Squeeze half a lemon, mix everything well and garnish with a coriander leaf before serving. 

As long as you buy dry fish from authentic and quality sources, your body will enjoy several benefits. Moreover, you can appreciate the simplicity of a variety of recipes you can try with dry fish. Experiment with the fish and dish of your choice and make any recipe of your own!