Though this particular recipe has a few ingredients (mostly a number of different spices), this one-pan curry is actually relatively simple to make and uninvolved enough to whip up on a busy night as it’s ready in under an hour.
Simmering firm white fish in a richly spiced coconut curry, this dish is totally decadent and absolutely bursting with flavour. Incorporating the gentle fruity tang of tamarind paste, this curry is inspired by South Asian flavours and techniques.
There’s no need to use an expensive cut of fish in this recipe – even frozen (defrosted) tilapia fillets will be welcome in this sauce!
How to Make Fish Curry with Tamarind
Like my other curries or Indian-inspired dishes like my red lentil patties or my coconut tofu dal, the first step of this recipe is to toast your whole spices.
In a large skillet, add some whole cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black mustard seeds.
Set the skillet over medium heat and toast the seeds until they start to dance around the pan – this will take a minute or two.
Add some oil to the pan along with a diced yellow onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook the onion until it begins to brown around the edges – about 10 minutes.
Then, to the onion, add some minced ginger, chili (go ahead and de-seed them if you’re sensitive to heat) and a good amount of minced garlic.
Also, add in some chopped cilantro stems to amp up that floral flavour along with a bit of tomato paste. Cook this all together until it’s super fragrant and the tomato paste begins to get a bit sticky.
After this stage, add some curry powder along with some ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and cardamom. Cook these spices for another 30 seconds just to bloom the flavours in the spices. Then, pour in a bit of full-fat coconut milk.
Cook the spices in the coconut milk until the fat begins to separate out from the coconut milk and the mixture is super fragrant – a few more minutes.
At this point, you can pour in the remainder of the coconut milk, some crushed canned tomatoes, a good amount of tamarind puree, a splash of water and a bit of salt.
Stir this all to combine and bring everything to a gentle simmer. Allow the curry to bubble away for at least fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s thick and the flavours are homogenous.
Then, add your fish. Use any kind of firm white fish here – it does not have to be an expensive type! Here in Australia, I used blue grenadier (same as in my fish curry without coconut milk) but it would work very well with something like tilapia, cod or haddock.
Add the fish to the curry and stir to ensure that it’s coated in the sauce. Let the fish bubble away in the sauce until it’s flaky and cooked through – about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillets and the type of fish.
Stir in some cilantro leaves and serve the curry – it goes great with a side of steamed basmati rice! Top with a little bit more cilantro for a touch of colour.
Fish Tamarind Curry with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) firm white fish such as tilapia, haddock or cod, cut into 4cm (2in) pieces
- 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 20 g (3 tbsp) ginger grated or minced
- 20 g (½ oz) fresh cilantro/coriander stems finely chopped & leaves picked
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2-3 red chilis such as bird's eye or cayenne, finely minced, deseeded if preferred
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp hot madras curry powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander seed
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 (400g/14oz) can full-fat coconut milk well-shaken, divided
- 200 g (7 oz) whole peeled tomatoes crushed with hands (½ 400g/14oz can)
- 2 tbsp tamarind puree
Instructions
- Season the fish generously with salt & set aside. Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black mustard seeds to a large skillet. Set over medium heat and gently toast the seeds. Once they begin to dance around the pan – after 1-2 minutes – add 2 tbsp of neutral oil.
- Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown around the edges – about 10 minutes.
- Add the ginger, cilantro stems, garlic, chilis and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and the tomato paste becomes dark and sticky – about 2 minutes.
- Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cardamom. Cook until very fragrant – about 30 seconds. Then, pour in 120ml (½cup) of coconut milk and stir into the onion mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes longer, until the fat begins to separate from the coconut milk.
- Pour in the tomatoes and tamarind paste along with 250ml (1 cup) of water and ¼ tsp of salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes – stirring occasionally.
- Stir the fish into the curry and allow to simmer until completely cooked through – 5-10 minutes. Stir in half of the cilantro leaves and serve, topping with the remaining cilantro.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Though there are more than a few ingredients in this recipe, it is fundamentally simple and packed with flavour. Perfect for a hearty, one-pan dinner, this delicious curry is sure to become a quick favourite.
Are you looking to make a fish curry with coconut and tamarind? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
