Spiced Panla Fish Recipe

I’m finally convinced that fried fish and soaked garri is the ultimate comfort food we’ve got here in Naija. Even with as little as 100 Naira, you could get a whole meal without stress….well, almost. My recent street foodie waka journey took me all the way to Ajegule market in search of shawa fish but i guess i got panla instead….Updated!
There, i met one of the main sellers in the process of cleaning and smoking the fish at the far end of the market. For those who don’t know, Panla (meaning “thin” in yoruba language) is a long thin sardine looking fish which is very common in Lagos. It’s tasteless when cooked without spicing properly but when seasoned well especially with pepper, you’d really enjoy it. When curved and smoked, it’s usually sold in sets of 4-5. I really don’t know what it’s is called in English, but would find that out soon and update this post. Do you know what it’s called in English? Feel free to enlighten us in the comment section

Panla fish

How to make spiced fried panla fish.

• Prep time: 10 mins

• Inactive: 30 mins

• Cook time: 5 mins

• Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients:::

• 10 small Panla fish

• 1 tsp. dry pepper

• 1 tsp. salt to taste

• 1 tsp. curry powder – Optional

• 3 cups vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Directions:::

Step 1: Mix the curry, salt and pepper together on a plate. Lightly coat the fish in the dry spice mixture.

Step 2: Leave to sit for 30 minutes so the spices get absorbed

Step 3: Heat the oil in a frying pan. Drop each fish gently into the oil making sure you do not overcrowd the pan and deep fry for 3 mins. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.

Serve with soaked Garri.