This no-fuss curry is incredibly flavorful. The best part of this curry is that there is no strong fish-y smell.
I come from a non-coastal region in India. So fish was a rare occurrence for us on the table. But on those rare occasions, it either used to be coated fried fish or this fish curry. I used to love the curry version more. When my mother recently visited me in Germany, I asked her to teach me this recipe.
Since the fish we get in our region in India is not available in Germany, my mummy adapted the recipe to the ingredients available here. And the result was still lip-smacking good.
What kind of fish to use for this curry?
In India, we used to get white fleshed (rohu or sole) fish for this curry. In Germany however, those fishes aren’t easily available. So, we used wild salmon for our curry and it worked out really well. The particular one I used is pictured below. It is available at Aldi in the freezer section. It is also quite economical compared to other sorts of fish.
Use frozen fish for best results
Why?
Because we marinate the fish first, and then directly cook it without sautéing the spices beforehand. We have to make sure that the spices get properly cooked in order to get out the “raw” taste. Fish cooks very quickly, and if you are using fresh fish you won’t have the margin to cook it long enough. Using frozen fish allows you to cook it longer, resulting in the spices to be cooked properly.
Ingredients at a glance
Notes on Ingredients:
- I prefer using rapeseed oil for this curry, but you may use any other oil as well.
- You will find all of the spices at an Indian store.
- Use somewhat sour yogurt for a nice, tangy flavor. I prefer using Turkish yogurt for my recipe.
Watch the video instructions to easily follow the recipe
Fish Masala Curry
Ingredients
For the marination:
- 400 grams (2 cups) yogurt (full fat)
- 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 4 tsp coriander powder
- 1 ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 6 filet (750 grams) frozen wild salmon
Other ingredients:
- 1 medium red onion
- 70 ml (¼ cup) rapeseed oil (cold pressed)
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi daana)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
Instructions
For the marination:
- In a bowl, add all the ingredients for marination together (except fish) and mix to combine. Unpack the frozen fish and transfer to a wide container. Pour the marinade all over the fish. Coat the marinade on each fish piece using your hands. Make sure the fish is well coated. Cover the container and put it into the fridge for 1 hour.
Prep:
- Thinly slice the onion.
Cooking:
- Heat a big pan/skillet on medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and fry it, stirring continuously. Once the onion is evenly browned, take it our of the pan and reserve for later use. Leave the oil in the pan.
- In the same pan, add the fenugreek seeds. Fry until the seeds turn dark brown (about 3 minutes). Then remove the seeds from the pan and discard.
- Now, turn the heat to high. Once the pan is hot, carefully add the fish filets, along with the marinade. Cook for 3 minutes. Move the fish filets lightly around the pan so they get evenly cooked. In the meantime, crush the fried onion into small pieces using your fingers.
- Flip the fish filets, add salt, dried fenugreek leaves and crushed fried onion. Gently mix to combine. Let it cook for about 4-5 minutes (or until the fish is cooked through). Move the fish filets around from time to time to ensure even cooking. Once done, switch off heat and put a lid on. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- I like to serve it with basmati rice or brown rice, or cauliflower rice (for a low carb option).
