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Goan Fish Curry Recipe

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Usually served with a portion of steamed rice, it is spicy and tangy, and enhances the flavour of freshly caught fish.

This delectable Goan Fish Curry recipe is considered a part of the staple diet of Goa, India. It was handed down from a friend who spends a few hours in the morning every weekend fishing. This catch is then cooked for lunch the very same day ensuring all the freshness is maintained. I am at home every time I try his curries.

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1kg of small to medium sized fish
1/2 coconut, grated (or chopped to small pieces)
2 tsp Coriander seeds
10 Black pepper seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 1/2" lump of tamarind
3 large onion, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
1 inch ginger, julienned
4 pods of garlic, julienned
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 green chillies, whole
4 stems of curry leaves
4 stems of coriander leaves
3 limes, juiced
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 cups of hot water
Salt to taste

Preparation

Clean the fish thoroughly, wash. Add salt and half of the lime juice and mix. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

Soak the tamarind in a cup of hot water. Use fingers to mash the tamarind so as to extract all the pulp. Sieve the pulp aside.

Add into a food processor the resulting tamarind water along with the coconut, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, one large onion, one tomato, chili powder, half of the julienned ginger, garlic, turmeric powder, curry leaves, the remaining lemon juice and green chilies. Top up with hot water till all ingredients are below water level. Blend this till paste is fine (roughly 10-15 minutes)

In the mean time, add the fish to a frying pan with one tbsp of cooking oil and lightly fry the fish.

Heat up a deep dish with 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Add the remaining two sliced onions and ginger and fry till onions are golden brown.

Add the mix from the food processor to the deep dish and simmer for 10 minutes on a medium flame. Add the fish to the gravy and bring to boil. Turn off the flame a minute after boiling point is achieved.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Suggestions:

  • Smaller fish are preferred, but larger fish like mackerel, kingfish, pomfret  can also be added. Ensure that you cut larger fish into manageable pieces.
  • Additional chilli powder may be added for added spice. Don't go over 5 tsp.
  • To be served with steamed rice

Let us know how your interpretation of this Goan Fish Curry Recipe turns out...