Indian Fish Curry

Published on January 13, 2021 | By
Indian Fish Curry

Are you ready to be blown away by this Indian Fish Curry? I am a novice when it comes to cooking Indian food. I am not a novice, however, when it comes to consuming Indian food or having a deep appreciation and curious palate for this colorful, complex, and vibrant cuisine. I am fascinated with the fragrant spices and the ritual of toasting and grinding them to produce a spice mixture or masala as the foundation for many Indian recipes.

The masala or blend of spices can be coriander, cumin, black pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, red peppers, and ginger. The two most well-known spice mixtures are probably tikka masala and the bold garam masala which is from north India.

If you are like me, most of the curries that I have cooked have been seasoned with a premixed curry powder straight from the spice rack at my local grocery. Occasionally, I would purchase a jar of a liquid form of a red or green curry sauce or paste for Thai or other Asian recipes that I was creating. I felt satisfied with this method until I decided to make my own curry in the traditional manner of Indian cooking to make this Indian fish curry.

Fear not! Once you make sure that you have all of the ingredients in your pantry, you will be capable of anything. It also helps to have a food processor, spice grinder or coffee grinder, or a mortar and pestle. The two most important parts to making this authentic Indian fish curry is first making the spice paste which is cooked with tomatoes and onions. Next, the spices for the curry are mixed and combined with the coconut milk. The firm white fish is poached in the curry sauce until done. I like to serve the curry with a little basmati rice and a piece of naan to scoop up the spicy fragrant sauce.

    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes

Ingredients

  • for the spice paste mixture:
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 TBSP fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • for the curry:
  • 1 TBSP ghee
  • 1 serrano chili, seeded and minced
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 large tomato, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 TBSP tamarind paste
  • 2 lbs firm white fish

Instructions

  1. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until browned and fragrant. Cool. Use a spice grinder to finely grind the spices. Set aside.
  2. Mince the garlic and grate the fresh ginger. Add salt to the garlic ginger mixture. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the mixture to a paste. Combine with the dried spice mixture. Mix well.
  3. Finely dice the pepper and the onion. Seed the tomato and chop roughly.
  4. Melt and heat the ghee in a medium skillet. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the cumin and coriander spice mixture, also known as masala, and stir well to combine. Continue cooking for a few minutes. Then add the tomato and the chopped serrano pepper and cook for about 5 minutes over medium to high heat until the tomato is soft and there is no liquid left in the pan.
  5. Cut the fish into large chunks or 4 portions if the fish is thinner.
  6. Stir in the tamarind paste and then the coconut milk. Mix thoroughly and allow the curry sauce to come to a low simmer for about 10 minutes.
  7. Add the chunks or portions of fish into the simmering curry mixture. Allow the fish to cook for 5-10 minutes until cooked through and flaky.
  8. Serve over brown rice or basmati rice with a piece of warm naan.
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