Goan Fish Curry
A fragrant, creamy coconut curry with warm spices and fresh fish, finished with a squeeze of lime. Ready in under 45 minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 38g
Ingredients
- 14 oz firm white fish (cod, halibut, or tilapia), skin removed
- 1 whole onion, medium
- 3 whole garlic cloves
- 1 piece fresh ginger, 1-inch piece
- 13.5 oz coconut milk, full-fat
- 1 whole tomato, medium
- ½ whole lime
- ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or Kashmiri chili powder)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the fish dry with paper towels and place on a cutting board. Cut the fish crosswise (perpendicular to its length) into 4 equal chunks, each roughly 3 inches long. Set aside on a plate.
- 2
Cut the onion in half lengthwise from root to tip, then place each flat side down and slice crosswise into thin half-rings about 1/4-inch thick.
- 3
Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about pencil-tip dots—using a chef's knife or garlic mincer.
- 4
Peel the ginger with a small spoon or vegetable peeler, then mince it the same size as the garlic until you have roughly 1 tablespoon of minced ginger.
- 5
Cut the tomato in half, then place each half flat side down and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices, discarding any hard core.
- 6
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.
- 7
Add the cumin seeds to the hot oil and stir constantly for 15 seconds until the kitchen smells strongly fragrant and toasted—this is blooming the spices.
- 8
Add the onion slices to the skillet and stir once every 10 seconds for about 2 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the edges turn light brown.
- 9
Add the minced garlic and ginger to the skillet and stir constantly for 30 seconds until the mixture smells fragrant and no raw garlic smell remains.
- 10
Stir in the red chili powder and cook, stirring continuously, for 10 seconds to remove any raw spice taste.
- 11
Pour in the entire can of coconut milk, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to lift any stuck-on browned bits. Stir until smooth.
- 12
Add the tomato slices and 0.5 teaspoon of salt, then stir gently to combine. Let the sauce come to a simmer over medium heat, about 2 minutes.
- 13
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Slide the fish chunks gently into the simmering sauce in a single layer, spacing them so they do not touch.
- 14
Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fish is opaque white throughout when you peek inside the thickest chunk—it should flake apart easily.
- 15
Remove the skillet from heat. Squeeze the lime juice over the curry and taste. Add a small pinch more salt and pepper if needed.
- 16
Divide the curry between two bowls, arranging one fish chunk and sauce in each. Serve immediately with steamed rice or flatbread on the side.
Tools you’ll need
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- paper towels
- large skillet (12-inch or similar)
- wooden spoon
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- two bowls
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