Bowl of Maharashtrian Fish Curry
(click to enlarge)

Fish Curry, Maharashtrian


India - Maharashtra   -   Kaalvan
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 w/rice
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1-1/2 hrs
Yes		 A flavorful curry made with many variations. I composed this recipe from 5 recipes, selecting for authenticity, but avoiding Maharastrian specialties not available in North America - see notes.

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Fish Fillets (1)  
-- Marinade
Garlic
Turmeric
Salt
Lemon Juice
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Tamarind Block (2)  
Hot Water
Onion
-- Spice mix
Cumin Seed
Coriander Seed
Turmeric
Chili Flake (3)
Paprika
Garam Masala (4)
Salt
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Oil
Coconut Milk (5)
Water
Marinade   -   (12 min + 30+ min marinade)
  1. Cut FISH into pieces as you desire. About 1-1/2 inch by 1-1/2 inches for buffet or informal, fillets or steaks for more formal serving.
  2. Crush GARLIC and chop very fine. Massage all Marinade items into fish. Let stand for 1/2 hour to 1 hour, tumbling once or twice.
Prep   -   (35 min - 20 min work)
  1. Prepare TAMARIND PASTE if not using Concentrate (see Note-2)
  2. Chop ONION small.
  3. Grind Cumin Seed and Coriander Seed in your spice grinder and mix all Spice Mix items.
Run     -   (35 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan heat Oil and fry Onions, stirring until translucent.
  2. Stir in Spices mix stirring for about 30 seconds, then stir in Coconut Milk and Tamarind Water. Bring to a boil uncovered, then turn to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
  3. Adjust liquid as desired. The sauce should be fairly loose, so keep in mind that it will thicken significantly when take off the stove (it's a little thicker in the photo than I like it.
  4. Stir in Fish and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 4 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
  5. Serve hot with plenty of steamed Basmati rice or Chapatis
NOTES:

  1. Fish:

      Select fish durable with wet cooking. My favorites are Golden Pompano and Japanese Amberjack, but Cobia, Cod, and Emperor are also fine. Also Catfish, American and Vietnamese (Swai, Basa, Tra). My standard for testing recipes is Tilapia, an "all purpose" fish, but treat it gently. For stronger tasting fish, Indian Mackerel or other Mackerel are good. All these fish often appear in Asian markets here in Los Angeles, particularly Philippine markets. For details see our Varieties of Fish page (very large page).

  2. Tamarind:

      Block Tamarind has the best flavor, but Concentrate can be used (just 2 T Concentrate). Chop Block medium and soak 30 minutes in Hot Water. Force through a strainer and discard solids (be sure to scrape paste from outside bottom of strainer). For details see our Tamarind page.

  3. Chili Flake:

      This curry should have a noticeable chili bite. I use Indian Khandela or Reshampatti, which are fairly hot, but in this quantity the curry isn't particularly hot. A good alternative would be a green Serrano, chopped fine. Use your own best judgement. For details see our Indian Chilis page.

  4. Garam Masala:

      Every English language recipe I've found for this fish curry calls for Garam Masala. I suspect Goda Masala (Sweet Masala) is more "authentic" as it is unique to Maharashtra. Problem: it requires some hard to get ingredients, most importantly a dried Lichen (Dagad Phool). The masala isn't a major factor in this recipe, so unless you intend to do a lot of Maharastrian recipes I'd just go with Garam Masala. For an example, see our recipe for Garam Masala - Kashmir. Meanwhile, since I have Dagad Phool and other hard to get items, I'll be posting a pretty authentic Goda Masala recipe, eventually.

  5. Coconut Milk:

      Many Indian recipes do not use Coconut Milk. They scrape (grate) about 3/4 cup of fresh coconut. This is mixed with the Spice mix items and ground to a masala paste in a "mixi" (mixer grinder). This would make a thicker curry, but the onions already make it plenty thick. The mixi is the "must have" appliance in Indian homes that have electricity. It's similar to a blender, but has multiple jars and blades for different tasks. A powerful blender might work, but getting mine out and onto the counter is a federal case. "Scraping" coconut without an Indian coconut scraper is also a hassle, so I'm sticking with the minority and using a top quality Thai coconut milk (Aroy-D).
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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