This Goan fish curry is really easy to make, packed with flavor & spice, and ready in less than 30 minutes. A delicious dish that's way better than take out.
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I have a few cookbooks which I dip in to now and then when I have a few minutes to breathe. I used to use them much more, but these days it's more occasional inspiration or for the details on favorites. A couple are favorite writers, others are from particular regions, and I know pretty much what I'll find in each.
I've been meaning to make another fish curry for a while, and so when it was announced this month's Fish Friday Foodies' theme was going to be Indian fish curry, it was the perfect excuse. I went straight for my Indian cookbook and after a little debate, I decided to try a Goan fish curry.
What defines a Goan fish curry?
India has a large stretch of coastline and so fish is common in the cuisines of these areas. There are definite regional variations in the flavors used, although some spices are common, as is coconut milk.
Goan fish curries are generally made with:
- coconut milk (or freshly grated coconut),
- a range of common curry spices and
- something to give a distinct slight sourness, usually from tamarind but it can be vinegar or other ingredients.
Part of this hot-sour flavor comes from incorporating Portuguese influences (the use of wine/vinegar or similar in cooking) into the more typical Indian flavors. Goa has a diverse history with a good 450 years under Portuguese rule, which has influenced the flavors of the region's cuisine.
This curry was a little too spicy for the kids, so I made a kid-friendly salmon curry for them, but we instantly loved it, and have had it many times since.
It's full of wonderful spiced flavor, in a creamy coconut sauce with a slight tang from the tamarind. It's quick and easy enough to be great for a busy night as well. Forget take out, this Goan fish curry is so much better both flavor-wise and it's healthier.
How to make Goan fish curry
I've adapted a few recipes to give something that was fairly authentic without being overly complex. While it might look like there are a lot of ingredients, this Goan fish curry is really easy to make.
The long list is mainly for the spice mix, or masala, which gives it so much depth of flavor. The steps to make it are:
- You make the masala first, by toasting the whole spices, crushing them along with the garlic and ginger then mix in the rest.
- Soften the onion a little then add the masala and mix.
- Next, add some tomato and fresh chili, then the coconut milk and tamarind.
- Finally add the fish to cook in the flavorful sauce in only a few minutes.
What kind of fish is best?
There are a few options on fish for this dish. Typically you might see it with pomfret, a flat fish, in India but that's not something I have ever seen here.
Although you add it towards the end so it doesn't have too long to break up, I'd still recommend a relatively firm white fish. I typically use haddock and it works really well.
There is so much flavor in this Goan fish curry that comes together so quickly and easily. Creamy coconut, enough spice without being over the top, and plenty of depth of flavor. It's definitely going back on our menu soon, and I hope it will go on yours too.
Interested in learning more about Indian cooking?
I have a number of other Indian recipes on the site such as mains like:
- Malabar prawn curry (shrimp curry, which has some similarities to this dish)
- lamb rogan josh,
- paneer Makhani (made with and paneer, a firm cheese)
- keema matar (made with ground beef)
as well as snacks/apps like cauliflower pakora and masala dosa (a potato filled thin crunchy crepe) and brinjal pickle (eggplant chutney) to have on the side.
I'd also recommend a couple Indian cookbooks which show the great diversity of Indian cooking (affiliate links) - Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and Floyd's India.
Remember to pin this for later.
Goan fish curry
Ingredients
For the spice paste/masala
- 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger (1tbsp is approx a 1in/2.5cm piece)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
For curry
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 green chilis
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- 1 lb haddock or use cod, pollock or other firm white fish
- 2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
- 1 cup coconut milk
Instructions
- Warm a small skillet/frying pan over a medium heat and toast the whole spices (coriander, cumin and mustard seeds) for a couple minutes until fragrant. The mustard seeds may start to pop which is a sign to stop.
- Roughly chop the garlic and ginger and crush with the salt to a relatively smooth paste. Add the toasted spices and crush. Add the remaining powdered spices and mix to a relatively smooth paste.
- Finely dice the chilis and onion. Dice the tomato. Warm the oil in a medium-large skillet or other shallow pan over a medium heat.
- Cook the onion in the oil for a few minutes until it has softened. Add the spice paste and stir through. Cook for a minute or two then add the tomato and chili and let the liquid almost disappear (a minute).
- Cut the fish into large bite-sized chunks.
- Add the tamarind and coconut milk to the pan, mix through. then put the fish chunks in and cook until cooked through, a couple mins.
- Serve over rice.
Video
Nutrition
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C. Almeida says
Delicious and easy fish curry. I'm Goan and I found it delicious. Well done, Caroline! We are definitely going to make it again. This being the first time I was making this recipe, I followed the instructions exactly. Goan fish curry has a characteristic acid tang, but the level of acidity is probably a matter of personal preference. Next time I might try using 3 instead of 4 teaspoons of tamarind concentrate.
Caroline says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it! And agree, the level of 'tang' is to taste, and also tamarind pastes can vary, too, so definitely worth adapting as needed to your taste and what you have.
Pam says
This recipe is fabulous. I make this over and over again as it is a family favourite. It tastes absolutely delicious. The homemade paste makes for a truly special Goan curry flavour. Thank you Caroline!
Caroline says
I'm so glad to hear you hav been enjoying it!
Ruth Daneman says
I have made this twice aa l thought l perhaps dud something wrong.l have just returned from Goa and the food was awesome! This l'm afraid was nothing like the curries l had ...awful actually...
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad you had a tasty visit, and sorry to hear this didn't match your expectations - I know there are many dishes and so the name is maybe a bit general (and so may be different from what you tried) but it's more this is what a number of people think of, and has been greatly enjoyed by a number of others.
Hira Zubair says
It’s become a household staple. I make it once a week! So so sooooo good!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad you have been enjoying it - it's one we love too!
Niki A says
I made this using Gardein vegan fishless filets and it was amazing! It came together really fast for an Indian dish. Thank you for the recipe. South Indian cuisine has the best flavors from coconut and tamarind.
Caroline's Cooking says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it - and I agree, I love the tamarind-coconut combination.
Nicky says
really enjoyed this! simple and tasty
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! It's definitely a favorite of ours.
Amit Karmarkar says
Tried this fish curry last night. Came out so nice. My family loved the fish curry. Thank you so much.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed, it's always one of our favorites!
J gaspar says
Hi this is great thanks,. Ive done this so many times now my printed recipe is now unreadable from being covered in turmeric! So Ive come back to print off another copy. Will check out your other creations! Cheers
Caroline's Cooking says
Well glad to hear you have been enjoying it! Hope you find some other ideas to tempt you too.
Brittney says
Do you use a mortar and pestle to crush the ingredients? If so, do you have a link to the one you use? Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes I do, but actually the one I have is really old that I picked up on a trip to Peru, so it's not exactly linkable! But one thing I would say is I'd suggest going for one that is a little coarse on the bottom rather than smooth, as I think it helps with crushing the seeds etc.
Jane says
I've used this one and love it! https://importfood.com/products/thai-cookware/item/mortar-and-pestle-solid-thai-granite
shyam anturkar says
Do you have a Goan shrimp curry recipe? Or can I use shrimp instead of fish?
Caroline's Cooking says
I don't, but you could certainly make this with shrimp instead of fish (not sure if it would be quite what you are thinking of but it will certainly be tasty!)
Miki says
Would it be possible to swap the fish for chicken?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes, you certainly could make this with chicken, just be aware it will take longer to cook than fish. You might want to brown the chicken first, then take it out and set aside, before you make the curry to help it along (plus it will add flavor)
Roy says
goan fish curry. re tamarind, 2 tsp as is or diluted with water/
Caroline's Cooking says
That's the amount as it is when you buy the paste (though you may need a little more or less depending on how concentrated yours is as that can vary). If you are starting from scratch with tamarind pods, you'll need a bit more of the tamarind water you make, probably nearer 2tbsp or more depending how strong you make it.
Sarith Gada says
I made this for the first time last night using smoked haddock. Absolutely delicious! Certainly looking forward to trying some of your other recipes soon!
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed! Haven't tried it with smoked fish but glad it worked out. And yes, do take a look around - hope you find some other ideas.
Lisa Suddards says
I have a bag of masala spice mix, can I use this instead?
Caroline's Cooking says
It's worth looking to see what ingredients are in the mix, as they can vary and may or may not be similar to the spices here, which is why I would always recommend working from the basic spices. But you will almost certainly need to add at least fresh garlic and ginger as well as tamarind and the fresh chili, tomato and coconut to get as close as you can to the curry's flavors.
Dev says
Can coconut milk and tamarind be substituted for water and lemon juice / vinegar respectively?
Caroline's Cooking says
In all honesty, these are both pretty central to the flavor of this dish so are not easily substituted. The lemon would work in a pinch, but is certainly not quite the same. If you don't want to use coconut milk, a little cream would be OK, but again really not the same.
Mel weaver says
We just made your curry - delicious. Didn’t have tamarind so added lime, which worked well IMO. I’m not the biggest fan of fish so this was a great way to eat it! Oh and we added curry leaves, my favourite ingredient in southern Indian food! It was in almost everything we ate in Kerala, along with mustard seeds.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed, and yes lemon/lime works well as an alternative (though there is something about tamarind's flavor that make it worth using, if you can get it). Yes, curry leaves are indeed popular and a good addition, if you have them.
Jose says
In Goa we use grated coconut and extract the juice (milk) to make curry.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, I have seen this method used in Malaysia as well.
Jane says
Hi- what kind of green chilies should I use?
Caroline's Cooking says
It's really up to you, depending on what you can get and prefer heat-wise (I don't think it's common to get the local chilis outside of India) - I generally use serrano, but as you prefer, like I say.
Diane says
Can I please have the recipe for the kids version? Thank you.
Caroline's Cooking says
So I don't have a kids version of this exact curry, but I sometimes make my kid-friendly salmon curry for them when we have this - it's linked above but here's the link: https://www.carolinescooking.com/kid-friendly-salmon-curry/