I’m so predictable… here we are on a Friday during Lent and I’m sharing a recipe for fish. Sometimes predictability is nice though, right? I mean, this is probably the perfect post for those of you wondering what to make for dinner tonight – or for those of you looking to get a head start on planning for next Friday’s meal. Here’s your answer: tamarind & coconut fish curry.
This curry is a creamy and slightly tangy fish dish perfect for serving over rice (or cauli-rice). One thing that’s pretty predictable about Indian recipes is that there’s almost always a souring agent – something that gives a dish a little tang. In this recipe, the souring agent is tamarind paste. It adds a nice depth of flavor to this spiced coconut stew.
Typically I stick to making easy fish recipes like my plantain-crusted haddock but sometimes it’s nice to make a recipe that takes a little more work but rewards with more flavor. Plus, this really doesn’t take that much more effort. That’s the great thing about seafood – it’s so quick to cook that it’s really not hard to make.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds haddock or another mild white fish, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil divided
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 onion diced
- 1 serrano chopped
- 5 garlic cloves chopped
- 1- inch ginger chopped
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon tamarind paste
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Cilantro optional
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in saute pan and then add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onion and serrano pepper.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown. Then add the garlic and ginger, stir for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat.
- Scoop everything from out of the pan and put it into a food processor or blender along with the water. Puree until smooth.
- Pour this back into the pan over medium heat. Add the spices and mix well. Then add the fish and mix well.
- Add the remaining coconut oil to the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
- Put the tamarind paste into a small bowl and then pour some of the hot liquid from the fish curry into the bowl to completely dissolve the paste. Add this back to the pan.
- Stir in the coconut milk, garnish with cilantro and serve.
- Note: this fish curry tastes better the next day.
Dianne says
Made this tonight added a little Kashmiri chilli powder as I didn’t have Serrano. Also added a teaspoon of sugar. Used fish and prawns. Had a fresh bread to mop up the sauce. It was so delicious a real keeper. Thank you.
Noah says
excellent dish. I wouldn’t change a thing. Reminds me of my time in Thailand.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Noah, that’s so nice to hear, thank you for sharing 🙂
Pinkie says
We made this recipe but we are vegan so we omitted the fish and substituted tofu and Daring chikun and it was delicious!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome, thank you for sharing how you made it vegan!
sté says
as we say in french : absolument merveilleux !
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
So happy to hear that!
John says
I have made so many of your delicious recipes! I appreciate this web site and your efforts more than you can know. I am wondering if you have made this one in Instant Pot? Could it be made with the frozen onion masala?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, John! I will add this to my to-make list but hopefully, a reader will be able to answer your question in the meantime.
Angie says
Made this tonight for dinner. Used halibut. Didn’t have cilantro, but you list it as optional, didn’t miss it. Followed directions exactly. The results were delicious! I’ll make it again soon. Now I need more recipes please for that big jar of tamarind paste…
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Angie, I’m so glad you liked this! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you! I’m working on testing a new recipe that calls for tamarind paste, so stay tuned! You can also use it to make my dal dhokli or sambar recipes 🙂
Patricia McGinnis says
Exactly! I had to order the big jar of tamarind paste for the Cook’s Illustrated Pad Thai recipe I made, so looking for other ways to use it. I’ll try this today, and won’t even have to go to the market!
Sandra says
Made this with frozen tilapia and it was delicious! Loved the complexity that the various spices and tamarind paste gives it–plus can’t go wrong with coconut milk in a curry. Another winner recipe. Thanks Ashley.
My Heart Beets says
Sandra, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how this curry turned out for you 🙂
M says
Great recipe! Try Lal Mirch instead of paprika if you have it handy in the pantry and definitely add 2-3 tsp brown sugar at very end to pull this together. I bet this would be lovely with shrimp or mussels too! I totally cheated and used bottled ginger/garlic paste to cut down prep 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Joanna Roy says
How many servings?
Warren Hill says
Just wanted to chime in that I’ve made this a few times now – always very delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Warren, I’m so glad to hear that 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how much you like this!
Ann says
Which colour mustard seeds do you use please?
My Heart Beets says
black or brown mustard seeds (not yellow) 🙂
kiara says
Made this tonight and it turned out to be super delicious!
My Heart Beets says
Kiara, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Maya aras says
When you reheat this dish the next day which is the best method without overcooking the fish and keeping the integrity of the fish? Haven’t made it yet but just want to know in advance.
My sister just told me about this blog and i made your butter chicken and now can’t wait to make other recipes. Butter chicken in instapot is amazing and my 5 year old twins loved it!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Maya! I’m so glad you and your twins loved the butter chicken recipe 🙂 You can just reheat it on the stove – the fish will be fine and in fact, the dish will actually taste even better on the second day (like most Indian dishes). Let me know how it turns out for you!
Rinki says
Quick question:
Do you cook the fish under high or low pressure setting in instapot? The recipe sounds delicious!!
Allie says
Add 3 drops of stevia (or 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar) at the end. It really settles the saltiness and brings out the curry flavor. I also used cod (frozen wild Alaskan from Trader Joe’s), per recommendation I cut it in to 2″ pieces and stirred infrequently as to not break up the pieces. Worked great! Thanks for this yummy (and very easy) recipe!!! PS MAKE A DAY IN ADVANCE, MUCH BETTER DAY 2 AS EVERYONE SAYS
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Allie! Love the tips! I bet coconut sugar would be great in it at the end 🙂
Terri says
I used cod and it fell apart for the most part. ?
My Heart Beets says
maybe the pieces were too small?
Sarah says
Love this fish curry, so quick and tasty!!! I just leave out the serrano to suit my 3 and 6 year old daughter’s tastes and they love it. I’ve been trying to use less sauces out of a jar after checking the ingredients (my 3 year old is coeliac) of a jar of satay sauce one day. The second ingredient after water was sugar! I have made it in the past but didn’t remember sugar being the main ingredient.
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that you and your girls like this dish! 🙂
Laika says
Hi Ashley,
My husband stopped eating fish a few years back and ever since I saw your recipe, I have been craving to eat this mallu dish.
So I made your fish curry without fish 😉
I used extra firm tofu. I seared it before I put it into the curry.
It was awesome! Esp the next day as you mentioned.
Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Laika, I’m so glad you made this! And it’s good to know that this dish tastes good when you substitute tofu!
Dawn says
Hi,
This recipe sounds amazing …. what can you use instead of serrano???? I haven’t seen it before. Thanks
My Heart Beets says
Hi Dawn, you can use a different chili pepper – a Thai bird chili or even a jalapeno. Hope that helps!
Dawn says
It worked a treat! …. what a beautiful recipe – one I’ll be making a lot more often. Thanks so much for all your recipes ….one word YUM
My Heart Beets says
awesome!! so happy to hear that 🙂
meg says
Just what I needed today. I need fish recipes with no night shades.
My Heart Beets says
Hope you love it!
Laika says
Oops,
Sorry just saw your salmon fish curry with kodampuli☺️
Love your recipes. So organized! Makes my cooking so much more easier.
My Heart Beets says
Thank you!! 🙂
Laika says
Yumm!
I make a similar dish, but usually miss one or two ingredients. I am going to try your recipe.
Check out kodampuli. We usually use it for fish and shrimp in Kerala.
My Heart Beets says
I hope ya love this recipe 🙂