Spiced Coconut Fish Curry — Chettinad Fish Curry
A Tamil Nadu fish curry from the Chettinad region in a coconut-and-tamarind gravy with toasted black pepper, fennel, and curry leaves.
Indian
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Pat fish dry, rub with 0.5 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp turmeric, rest 5 minutes. Toast desiccated coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat for 90 seconds until light golden. Add peppercorns, fennel, coriander, cumin seeds, and dried red chillies; toast 60 seconds until fragrant. Cool 1 minute. Blend toasted mixture with Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander, tamarind paste, remaining turmeric, and 1/2 cup water into a smooth thick paste. Slice shallots, mince ginger-garlic, slit green chillies, chop tomatoes, and measure curry leaves and fresh coriander.
Bloom
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add curry leaves, let crackle 10 seconds until fragrant.
Saute
Add sliced shallots, cook 5 minutes on medium, stirring occasionally, until edges turn brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and slit green chillies; cook 1 minute until raw smell fades.
Build
Add chopped tomatoes and remaining 1.5 tsp salt. Cook 3 minutes on medium-low, mashing tomatoes, until they break down completely. Stir in coconut-spice paste; cook 4 minutes on medium-low, stirring, until oil beads at edges and masala turns deep red.
Simmer
Pour in 400ml hot water, bring to gentle simmer on medium-low. Slide fish into gravy in single layer, cover, simmer 7 minutes on low until fish flakes easily at 63°C internal temperature—do not stir, spoon gravy over. Rest 2 minutes off heat.
Plate
Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with steamed rice, parotta, or appam, lime pickle, and roasted papad alongside.
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