Recipe: Shan Lahori Fish Mix with Tilapia

I bought the Shan Lahori Fish Mix for 99 cents, based on advice from my friend. I went to Trader Joe’s and bought some frozen Tilapia. The recipe below falls into the South Asian category, given the make-up of the spices. My friend is from Pakistan, which tends to share similar cuisine with that of North Indian cuisine (if this needs correction, please comment and let the author know!).

The fish mix is a bag of pre-mixed spices. Use only 2-3 Tbs. for these cooking options, not the whole bag!

Option 1:

Mix the few Tbs of powder with 2-3 Tbs of water, which you then use to coat the tilapia.

Let the tilapia sit for a little bit to absorb the spices.

Next, heat up 1-2 Tbs of oil (I used ghee, aka clarified butter) in a sauté pan.

Add the fish to the pan and sauté on each side for about 8 minutes.

Voila – you don’t exactly have breaded tilapia (as I think using up the whole packet would be too spicy) but you have a fair coating of flavor to make healthier fried fish.

I served the fried fish with a side of steamed rice and sometimes on a bed of mixed salad, so I have some veggies.

If you have some lemon, sprinkle it on top of the tilapia, too.

Option 2:

Instead of mixing the powder with any water, just evenly sprinkle 1-2 Tbs on each side of the fish.

Saute this in a pan again, that’s lightly coated with oil or ghee. I leave it on each side for about 8 minutes.

A little lemon juice is always a good option with fish, but the dish is still good without it!