Keralan Fish Curry

Keralan Fish Curry is a creamy South Indian fish curry with coconut milk. Using a few common spices and poaching the fish in a creamy tomato sauce, this easy recipe takes just 30 minutes.

Fish Curries are very quick and easy and perfect for mid-week. You might also like Thai Red Prawn Curry Thai Green Fish Curry or Fish Korma

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• Recipe Tips and Variations
• How to make it
• Serving Suggestions
• Sustainability
• Storage
• Recipe Video
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Recipe Tips and Variations

• You can use any white meaty fish in a Keralan curry such as cod, pollock, hake, haddock or coley for example. Look for fish that is sustainably caught. As curry has quite a strong flavour, it's a good opportunity to try a less popular variety of fish so we're not always eating the same cod and haddock, which puts more pressure on these fish stocks. Make sure you skin the fish and remove any bones before adding it to the curry.
• I've tried to keep this recipe simple by using common spices. If you want to increase the spice, you can add more curry powder. Curry powders can vary in strength. Once the curry is simmering, taste it and if you want it make it hotter, add more curry powder a little at a time.
• The coconut milk makes the sauce nice and creamy. You can use full fat or lite coconut milk. A lighter version will have a runnier texture, but a keralan curry doesn't have a very thick sauce like other curries.
• I've added green beans to this recipe as I like to always add vegetables to my recipes. It makes the portions go further as well as adding extra nutrition. You could also use sugar snap peas or mangetout, or leave them out.
• If you want to make this curry ahead of time, you can store it in the fridge and reheat it. Try not to stir it too much as the fish is delicate and will break up. If possible, I would recommend making the sauce and adding the fish just before you need it. The fish doesn't take long to cook in the sauce and it will hold together much better this way.

How to make it

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat, add the cumin seeds and fry until the seeds start to pop. They won't look much different, but you will see them start to pop. Be patient. This will take 2 - 3 minutes. Stir occasionally so they don't burn. The seeds will brown slightly. Popping the seeds helps release their flavour and also flavours the oil
2. Turn the heat down to medium, add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for around 5 minutes until soft
3. Add the curry powder, tumeric and chilli powder and fry for 1 minute. Frying the spices also helps to release the flavours.
4. Add the coconut milk, tinned tomatoes, diced and skinned fish and green beans then stir together.
5. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
6. Serve with rice or naan bread, a tablespoon of fresh coriander leaves over the top and a wedge of lime.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this creamy fish curry with a white rice such as basmati or jasmine rice. You could also serve it with naan bread or why not try a simple 3 Ingredient Flatbread. A tablespoon of fresh coriander leaves sprinkled over the top adds nice colour and coriander is a great flavour to add to a curry. Lime juice also goes well with fish curry so I always serve it with a wedge of lime.

Sustainability

When shopping for fish, look for the blue Marine Stewardship Council Logo. This will let you know the fish has been sustainably sourced. The MSC is an international non-profit that uses a labelling system and fishery certification programme to recognise and reward sustainable fishing practices. As always, try to buy your vegetables loose if you can without any packaging. Coconut milk, rice, limes, nut oil and all the spices can all be bought as Fairtrade making this a great Fairtrade recipe. Using Fairtrade products is a great way to support sustainable farming practices and lend your support to some of the world's poorest farmers.

Storage

Keralan Fish curry can be kept in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. Coconut milk changes texture when frozen and separates so this dish doesn't freeze so well. You can however reheat it and have any leftovers for lunch the next day. Just be careful not to overstir it as the fish is delicate and will break up. Leftover rice can also be frozen. Spread it out on a tray to cool then freeze it. Once it has frozen on a tray, you can transfer it to another container. This avoids the rice freezing together in one big lump. Cooked rice will freeze for up to one month without deteriorating in quality. Pop in a pan of boiling water to reheat and make sure rice is piping hot before serving. Check out my tips on easy to freeze common foods.

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