Fish Fry Calories: Home-Style vs Batter-Fried

By NYUS Inc. · Published 30 October 2026

"Fish fry calories", with "per 100g", "per piece", "pomfret" and "protein", is searched in India, and the answers online differ. No primary table has a fish fry record: IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables from ICMR-NIN, prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no fish fry, fried fish or other cooked fish dish, and no cooking oil row in Table 1, and USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy has no fish fry record. So this page does not quote a number. It works one portion of fish fry out line by line: the raw white pomfret, semolina, egg, ginger, garlic, red chilli and turmeric from named IFCT 2017 rows and the oil from a USDA record, with weights that are our assumptions and the oil shown apart so you can see what it adds, once as a home-style shallow-fried portion and once as a batter-fried portion, and then the same home-style recipe on vanjaram and rohu. They are estimates, shown so you can change the weights to match your pan. For a fish curry see our fish curry guide, for the raw fish rows our raw fish guide, and for the spoon values our ghee, oil and sugar guide.

The short answer

By our working, one portion of home-style fish fry (150 g raw white pomfret, 10 g semolina, ginger 3 g, garlic 3 g, red chilli 2 g, turmeric 0.5 g and 2 teaspoons of oil) is about 308.3 kcal and 30.2 g protein, and the batter-fried portion (150 g raw white pomfret in a batter of 20 g egg and 15 g semolina with the same ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric, and 15 g of oil absorbed in frying) is about 404.9 kcal and 33.5 g protein. Across 100 to 200 g of raw edible fish the home-style runs 207.2 to 409.3 kcal with 1 to 3 teaspoons of oil and the batter-fried 299.4 to 510.4 kcal with 10 to 20 g of absorbed oil, with the coating or batter in every cell. These are estimates from the weights below, not measured values, not from a fish fry record and not a restaurant figure. Our reading: the parts of the home-style main case rank the fish 183.9 kcal, the oil 79.6 kcal, the semolina 33.4 kcal, the ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric 11.4 kcal; the parts of the batter-fried main case rank the fish 183.9 kcal, the oil absorbed in frying 132.6 kcal, the batter (egg and semolina) 77.0 kcal, the ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric 11.4 kcal; and the batter-fried portion is 96.6 kcal above the home-style one at the same 150 g of fish. On other fish, the same home-style recipe runs 277.8 kcal with rohu to 328.7 kcal with vanjaram.

IFCT 2017 rows used, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 Table 1 prints, per 100 g edible portion, water, protein, ash, total fat, total dietary fibre, insoluble and soluble fibre, carbohydrate and energy in kJ, where the row has them (the fish and egg rows print fewer columns). We read these 9 rows from the PDF text on 30 October 2026, as the mean of the regions shown (PDF pages in the Sources); the kcal is ours (kJ divided by 4.184, to 0.1). IFCT prints no portion weights; the fish rows are the raw edible portion, so a fish bought whole, with head, bones and skin, weighs more than the meat in it, and the weight of the fried fish is not printed in any table. White pomfret (P057) and vanjaram (P087) have 2 regions each in IFCT and rohu (S006) 6.

The oil: USDA SR Legacy, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 Table 1 has no cooking oil row, so the oil comes from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy; it is a US record. Energy is USDA's kcal with the kJ beside it; water, protein, total fat and carbohydrate (by difference) are in g, then fibre (g), total sugars (g) and sodium (mg), all per 100 g.

The data-type label on each USDA field, as the record shows it

USDA's record page shows a data-type label beside some fields and none beside others. This table copies what the record shows, read field by field from the nutrient table of the record page; "no label shown" means the record prints no label there, and "not printed" means the record has no row for that field. We do not interpret the labels beyond printing them. IFCT 2017 prints no such labels.

The household portions USDA prints for the oil

These are the entries in the record's Measures list, as printed; the other entry is 100 g. The kcal in the last column is ours: the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, shown to 0.1.

The portion sums: 171410 1 tsp (4.5 g): 884 × 4.5 / 100 = 39.78, so 39.8 kcal; 171410 1 cup (216 g): 884 × 216 / 100 = 1909.44, so 1909.4 kcal; 171410 1 tbsp (13.5 g): 884 × 13.5 / 100 = 119.34, so 119.3 kcal. By the same arithmetic 1 teaspoon of oil (4.5 g) is 39.8 kcal, 2 teaspoons 79.6 kcal, 3 teaspoons 119.3 kcal, and 10, 15 and 20 g of oil 88.4, 132.6 and 176.8 kcal.

Worked example 1: home-style fish fry

Every weight here is our assumption for one portion, counted raw: white pomfret steaks rubbed with ginger, garlic, red chilli and turmeric, dusted with semolina and shallow-fried in peanut oil. Each IFCT line is the kJ divided by 4.184, times the grams, divided by 100, to 0.1 kcal; the oil line is USDA's printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100; protein is the table's protein per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100. Lemon juice, salt, curry leaves, rice flour and besan are not counted.

The grid varies the raw edible pomfret (100, 150 or 200 g) and the oil (1, 2 or 3 teaspoons); the semolina, ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric stay as above.

Worked example 2: batter-fried fish fry

Same method and the same 150 g of raw edible pomfret and spices; the fish goes into a batter of egg and semolina and is fried in more oil. No table prints how much oil the fried pieces absorb, so the 10, 15 and 20 g are our assumptions and the least certain numbers on this page. This is our assumed recipe for a batter-fried portion, not a measured restaurant dish.

The grid varies the raw edible pomfret (100, 150 or 200 g) and the oil absorbed in frying (10, 15 or 20 g); the egg and semolina batter, ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric stay as above.

The two main cases side by side

These are the single examples used in the short answer; each follows from the tables above and from the weights in the cell.

The same home-style fish fry on other fish

With the same 150 g of raw edible fish, 10 g of semolina, the same spices and 2 teaspoons of oil, only the fish row changes. The fish-alone column is IFCT's kJ divided by 4.184, times 150, divided by 100.

What stands out in the numbers

• Home-style, part by part: the fish 183.9 kcal, the oil 79.6 kcal, the semolina 33.4 kcal, the ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric 11.4 kcal. Raw edible white pomfret is 122.6 kcal per 100 g (IFCT P057).
• Batter-fried, part by part: the fish 183.9 kcal, the oil absorbed in frying 132.6 kcal, the batter (egg and semolina) 77.0 kcal, the ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric 11.4 kcal; against the home-style portion the extra batter adds 43.6 kcal and the oil absorbed in frying, net of the 2 teaspoons used in the home-style pan, 53.0 kcal.
• Fish weight against oil: in the home-style version the fish weight (100 to 200 g) moves it more than the oil (1 to 3 teaspoons): 122.6 kcal against 79.5 kcal; in the batter-fried version the fish weight (100 to 200 g) moves it more than the absorbed oil (10 to 20 g): 122.6 kcal against 88.4 kcal. Each teaspoon of oil is 39.8 kcal.
• Which fish: vanjaram gives 328.7 kcal and rohu 277.8 kcal for the same home-style fry, a gap of 50.9 kcal.
• Protein: about 30.2 g in the home-style main case and 33.5 g in the batter-fried one; the 150 g of raw pomfret supplies 28.5 g of it.
• These are estimates: no fish fry record exists, the weights are ours, and a thicker batter, more oil or a bigger portion will change them.

Why these are estimates, not your fish fry

• No record exists for the dish. IFCT 2017 prints raw foods and no cooked dish, and USDA SR Legacy has no fish fry record.
• The weights are assumptions. No table prints how much fish, coating or oil one portion takes; ours are stated so you can replace them.
• The absorbed oil has no table behind it. The 10 to 20 g in the batter-fried grid is our assumption and is the least certain input on this page.
• Raw edible weights. Fish loses water in frying, no table prints the cooked weight, and a whole fish weighs more than its edible meat, so the page counts raw edible weight and cannot say how many pieces the portion makes.
• Few regions for two rows. IFCT's white pomfret and vanjaram rows rest on 2 regions each, rohu on 6.
• No restaurant figure. The batter-fried version is a recipe we assumed, not a measured restaurant dish; no table prints a restaurant weight or oil use.
• US oil data. The oil row is a US record; IFCT Table 1 has none.
• Labels are printed, not judged. Calculated and the other labels are USDA's words on the record; we print them and draw no conclusion from them.

How to log it so the numbers hold

• Log it by parts. Weigh the fish as edible meat before frying, log the semolina and egg by their own weight, and log the oil by what you pour and what is left in the pan (weight × figure ÷ 100); our ghee, oil and sugar guide has the spoon values.
• Say how much oil. It is an input this page cannot know; a teaspoon is 39.8 kcal and 5 g of absorbed oil 44.2 kcal.
• Say what else went in. Rice flour, besan, a yogurt or tamarind masala and lemon are not counted.
• Log the rice or chutney separately. They are not in these figures.

Where NYUS fits (our app)

We make NYUS, so read this as ours. NYUS is an AI fitness and nutrition coach in early access on Android, with no ads and no data selling. You log foods yourself by searching 8,900+ Indian and global foods or by barcode, and a weekly check-in adjusts your calories, macros and step goal once enough is logged. Barcode coverage of Indian packaged foods is not complete, so search by name when a scan finds nothing.

What this page leaves out

• A measured calorie figure for fish fry as a dish: no primary record prints one, so every figure here is an estimate from stated weights.
• A calorie target, and any claim about what fish, egg or oil do to your body: we have not looked up any for any person, so we give none. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, ask your doctor or dietitian.
• Lemon juice, salt, curry leaves, rice flour, besan or cornflour coatings, yogurt or tamarind masalas, fried onions, and other versions such as tawa fish, fish cutlets, fish fingers or a fry of other fish rows: not covered here; log them from their own rows (our fish curry guide works a rohu and a hilsa curry out).
• Restaurant, takeaway and packaged fish fry: no table prints a restaurant weight or oil use, so we give no such figure; read the pack for packaged ones.
• Per 100 g and per piece figures: no table prints a cooked weight, so none is given here.
• Nutrients beyond energy, water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, total sugars and sodium: not covered here.

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, mean of the regions shown (read from the PDF text 30 October 2026): P057 Pomfret, white (2 regions, 513 kJ, PDF p. 65); P087 Vanjaram (2 regions, 570 kJ, PDF p. 66); S006 Rohu (6 regions, 428 kJ, PDF p. 68); A022 Wheat, semolina (6 regions, 1396 kJ, PDF p. 42); M001 Egg, poultry, whole, raw (6 regions, 564 kJ, PDF p. 58); G014 Ginger, fresh (6 regions, 230 kJ, PDF p. 54); G011 Garlic, big clove (6 regions, 518 kJ, PDF p. 54); G022 Chillies, red (6 regions, 990 kJ, PDF p. 54); G033 Turmeric powder (6 regions, 1174 kJ, PDF p. 55). IFCT 2017 prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no fish fry, fried fish or other cooked fish dish, and no cooking oil row in Table 1 (PDF text searched for fish fry, fried fish, tawa fish, batter and oil; the fish rows used are P057 white pomfret (PDF p. 65), P087 vanjaram (p. 66) and S006 rohu (p. 68), each the raw edible portion).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171410 (Oil, peanut, salad or cooking): Energy 884 kcal (3700 kJ), protein 0 g, total fat 100 g, carbohydrate by difference 0 g, fibre 0 g, total sugars 0 g, sodium 0 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference no label shown, total sugars Assumed zero (Insignificant amount or not naturally occurring in a food, such as fiber in meat); portions used: 1 tsp (4.5 g); 1 cup (216 g); 1 tbsp (13.5 g) (read 30 October 2026).
• nyus.in, the NYUS landing page, read on 30 October 2026 for the app statements in the NYUS section and the CTA.

The ingredient weights, the kJ to kcal conversions, the line values, the sums, the grids, the fish comparison, the portion kcal, the rounding, the comparisons and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own assumptions, arithmetic or opinion, not from USDA or IFCT. The IFCT values are the means printed in IFCT 2017 Table 1; the USDA values, data-type labels and Measures-list portions are exactly as shown on the USDA record page. The names in the first column are the tables' own names.

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