Curry Fish – spicy, savory fish meal simmered in aromatic spices and herbs with coconut milk and homemade curry powder. An extremely delicious weeknight meal just in time for the Lenten season.
Now that we’re officially in the month of March, I’ve been adding great menu items for the Lenten season that could also double up as a simple yet great weeknight meal for the whole family.
Since I’m on a fish kick lately (I’m talking about you salmon…yes, you), I decided to take it a notch higher – deep flavors and a handful of spices and herbs. This Curry Fish is definitely the perfect answer to those who want a meal bursting with complex flavors.
Made with my homemade Jamaican Curry Powder here, this dish is the epitome of a simple dish without compromising the flavor. It’s pretty straightforward, no complicated cooking method, but the flavors taste like it has been prepared by a seasoned cook who’ve been laboring in the kitchen for decades. Deceiving, huh?
So what makes this a winning dish? This Curry Fish here is a spin off of this hit Jamaican Curry Shrimp here but with the addition of ginger and a couple of herbs to add depth. I can’t even describe how all the layers of flavors linger in my mouth, and it’s not even overpowering.
If you’re pressed on time, you can use store-bought curry powder, but I highly suggest that you try making my homemade curry powder. You’ll never buy the branded one again and you’ll have people asking what’s your secret weapon. Sounds fair?
Serve this dish warm with rice, and you’ll surely be licking your plate clean. Enjoy!
How To Make Curry Fish
Season fish with, salt, curry powder, white pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic and set aside. You may do this overnight and refrigerate until ready to use.
In a cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot, and then add the fish and brown on both sides – about 3-5 minutes until fish is brown. You may omit this part, if desired. Remove fish and set aside. Drain oil and leave about 2 tablespoons.
Add onions, followed by minced garlic, thyme, curry powder and bay leaf, stir for about 2-3 minutes for the flavors to blossom. Then add tomatoes cook for another 3 minutes.
Pour in coconut milk and water, continue cooking for about 3-5 minutes.
Then throw in hot pepper, if using any, basil leaves ,green onions and smoked paprika. Return fish to the pot with accumulated juice. Bring to a boil, salt and cook for about 10 minutes. Add chopped parsley.
Adjust sauce thickness and seasoning with water or broth. Serve warm.
Watch How To Make It
Curry Fish
Ingredients
Fish Seasoning
- 2-3 pounds (907.18 - 1,360.78 g) fish steak
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) curry powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.40 g) minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon (1.40 g) minced ginger
- Salt and pepper to taste
Curry Fish Stew
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) canola oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) grated ginger
- 1 teaspoons (0.80 g) fresh minced thyme
- 2-3 tablespoons (12.6 - 18.9 g) curry powder
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 tomato diced
- 2 green onions chopped
- ½ -1 cup (113-226 g) coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups (235 - 352.5 g) water or broth more or less
- Hot pepper (Habanero, Scotch Bonnet or Chili Peppers) , Optional
- 3-4 basil leaves
- 1-2 teaspoon (2.1 g) paprika
- ½ red bell/green bell pepper , diced
- 1-2 tablespoon (3.80 - 7.60 g) parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season fish with, salt, curry powder, white pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic and set aside. You may do this overnight and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a Cast Iron Skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot, and then add the fish and brown on both sides - about 3-5 minutes until fish is brown. You may omit this part, if desired.
- Remove fish and set aside. Drain oil and leave about 2 tablespoons.
- Add onions, followed by minced garlic,ginger, thyme, curry powder and bay leaf, stir for about 2-3 minutes for the flavors to blossom, then add tomatoes cook for another 3 minutes.
- Pour in coconut milk and water, continue cooking for about 3-5 minutes. Then throw in hot pepper, if using any, bell pepper, basil leaves and smoked paprika. Return fish to the pot with accumulated juice. Bring to a boil, salt and cook for about 10 minutes. Add chopped parsley.
- Adjust sauce thickness and seasoning with water or broth.
- Serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- I used Tilapia steak in the recipe - feel free to switch it out for any white fish - examples include; kingfish, sea bass, cod, grouper, haddock, catfish, and red snapper. Fish Steak is preferable
- If you love curry anything, I would urge you to make your own spice blend - It's like night and day- so much flavor in homemade - feel free to try this Jamaican curry out.
- For my healthy peeps, skip the browning at the beginning.
- A cast-iron skillet works best when browning fish- works like a charm, every time. If you can invest in a cast iron, I would say go for it. It's quite affordable too.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Chintamani Kansas says
Delicious! I didn’t have a spice grinder so I used Grace Curry Powder. It turned out wonderful! I am sure your curry powder recipe is miles above that. Question— do you use Paprika or Smoked Paprika in this recipe? The ingredients say Paprika in some places and Smoked Paprika in others. This curry sauce was marvelous! The coconut milk was not the star of the show. It was not like Thai food. We really enjoyed this recipe! I am not sure the basil added much. IfI wanted to make this and was out of basil Ibwould skip it
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Chintanmani,
So happy to hear it would are well. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Chintamani says
Hi again! Could you please clarify the paprika? The blog post says smoked paprika 2 times and just paprika 2 times. Which do you use?