Fish cutlet recipe with step-by-step pictures. These mackerel fish cutlet/fish croquettes, Goan style are crispy and juicy, delicious, and a scrumptious appetizer or snack! Seafood lovers, this one is for you!

Croquettes and kebabs top my list when it comes to appetizers/finger foods. Like these mackerel croquettes which I happen to love a lot! Unfortunately, we do no get good, fresh mackerels here unlike we do in Mumbai and Goa. So whenever I crave for these, I make do with the canned mackerels. So I always have a can or two in my pantry. I, sometimes also make these fish croquettes with fresh salmon/ tuna. Those are delicious as well.
These croquettes are almost like the Goan version of fish cakes! A few basic ingredients go into making these croquettes, most of which are already available in your pantry. These are great for appetizers, as a side or I love putting them in sandwiches slathered with green cilantro chutney on the bread slices. These are also great to carry along for any picnic.
If you are using fresh mackerel, then you will need to clean them, place them in a pot with some water, little ginger garlic paste and turmeric. Steam until cooked through, then debone the fish and follow the recipe from there on. Be careful as mackerel has a lot of tiny bones.
There might be some left despite all the thorough cleaning, in that case, transfer the flesh to a mixer grinder, just pulse it a couple of times to break it down further, do not make a paste of the meat. Or the best option is to use any fleshy fish, IMHO shark croquettes are tastiest you will ever have, coz the fish itself is so delicious! You could also make tuna cutlets, cod cutlets, or salmon cutlets using the same recipe.
Table of Contents
ENJOYED THESE GOAN FISH CUTLET | INDIAN FISH CROQUETTES, THEN YOU MAY ALSO LIKE,
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE FISH CUTLET | GOAN FISH CUTLETS | GOAN MACKEREL FISH CUTLETS
1.Discard the brine from the can, transfer the mackerel to a plate, debone the fish and transfer the flesh in a mixing bowl, add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, vinegar, and egg yolk.

2.Add the tomato ketchup. Mix everything well. Take some mixture, and try to form elongated croquettes, or any shape as you desire. If they hold their shape, continue with the crumb coating, if not, dip 1-2 slices of bread in water, squeeze the water out, and add this bread to the mixture, mix well. You should be able to form the croquettes now. Alternatively, you can also use boiled potatoes. My mixture held well, so I didn’t need to add anything for binding. You should be able to get about 8 elongated croquettes with these measurements.

3.Beat the egg white in a bowl with little salt. Place breadcrumbs/semolina in another bowl, season with little salt. Now dip the croquette in egg white and then breadcrumbs. Coat all the croquettes in this manner.


4.Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet, fry the croquettes until they are golden brown from all sides, turning sides as required. Serve hot.

HOW TO MAKE FISH CUTLET | GOAN FISH CUTLETS | MACKEREL CUTLETS?

Fish Cutlets | Goan Fish Cutlets | Indian Fish Croquettes
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 15 oz/454 g canned mackerel or 2 medium fresh mackerels, or any other firm fish like tuna, salmon, kingfish etc
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/2 to 1 tbsp vinegar, I used coconut vinegar
- 1 tbsp hot and sweet tomato ketchup, optional
- 2-3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs/semolina, add as required
Instructions
- Discard the brine from the can, transfer the mackerel to a plate, debone the fish and transfer the flesh in a mixing bowl, add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, vinegar, and egg yolk.
- Add the tomato ketchup. Mix everything well. Take some mixture, and try to form elongated croquettes, or any shape as you desire. If they hold their shape, continue with the crumb coating, if not, dip 1-2 slices of bread in water, squeeze the water out, and add this bread to the mixture, mix well. You should be able to form the croquettes now. Alternatively, you can also use boiled potatoes. My mixture held well, so I didn't need to add anything for binding. You should be able to get about 8 elongated croquettes with these measurements.
- Beat the egg white in a bowl with little salt. Place breadcrumbs/semolina in another bowl, season with little salt. Now dip the croquette in egg white and then breadcrumbs. Coat all the croquettes in this manner.
- Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet, fry the croquettes until they are golden brown from all sides, turning sides as required. Serve hot.
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Regards,
Freda




I think my family would love these! Thanks for the easy recipe!
Thanks a lot Laura 🙂
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
So tempting! ?
Thanks sweetie 🙂
Looks super tempting. As always lovely click.
Thanks a lot di 🙂
Love these croquettes. Beautiful clixks too..
Thanks a lot 🙂
Freda, these are absolutely gorgeous. I love the presentation! 🙂
Thanks so much Linda 🙂
I think these would be very tasty with salmon, shark or tuna too! I’m not sure if we even have canned mackerel here, but then again, I have never looked for it. 🙂
Canned mackerel is easily available in Walmart. I’ve made these with salmon and tuna too, and they taste great, but shark taste the best 😀
These look so tasty! Love the idea of adding vinegar into the mixture, though I’ve never encountered coconut vinegar. It sounds very interesting. I need to look for it. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks Ronit, it adds a nice tangy element to it. I got the coconut vinegar from Whole foods 🙂
Great to know! I will look for it next time I’m there. 🙂
Freda, How do I stop drooling when you post these …slurp…slurp mackeral croquettes?
I love these and it is good to know that I can make these with canned mackeral too. Great share!
Thanks so much Sandhya 🙂
Looks Amazing, and Wonderful Photographs as well???
Thanks Marriam 🙂
Looks awesome Freda. Will try this out soon. Can we use lemon juice instead of vinegar?
Thanks a lot! Yes you can use another sour ingredient, adjust as per your preference:)
Sure ? Thanks for sharing ?