If Maggie and I were told that the only animal meat we could eat for the rest of our lives was fish, our reactions would differ wildly.

I would be happy enough, as I like a wide variety of both fish species and ways of cooking fish. Maggie, on the other hand, is a bit choosy on both counts. So, she would bid a very teary farewell to red meat, compounded by the realisation that “fish” means fish. No molluscs, no crustaceans, no cephalopods.

However, her mood would quickly brighten if I promised her that every second fish meal would be the curry that I added to our repertoire in 2015. Here is a generous serving of it, accompanied by some leftover wilted spinach. The regular extras are some grilled pieces of naan bread and a raita of yoghurt, cucumber and fresh mint.

And here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Spice mix
2 tbsp ground cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp Madras curry powder
2 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp garam masala
1½ tbsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Two tablespoons of the finished spice mix in a saucer

Curry
250g firm fish fillets suitable for poaching
20ml vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
3-4 cm ginger, grated
25-30ml spice mix
1 cup chicken stock
100ml chopped tomatoes
¼-½ tsp chilli flakes
80-100ml coconut milk
3 tsp chopped parsley (optional)

Method

1. Mix spices thoroughly in a bowl.
2. Cut fish fillets into 2-3cm chunks
3. Heat oil in pan, add onion and garlic and sauté for 10-15 minutes. Add ginger and sauté for a further 4 minutes or until onion is just beginning to colour.
4. Add spice mix and cook for one minute.
5. Add stock and tomatoes, bring to boil and simmer gently for at least 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add chilli flakes and simmer for a further 5 minutes
7. Add coconut milk and stir to combine
8. Add pieces of fish and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Adjust seasoning, remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley and serve

Steps 4 and 5:

The sauce becomes richer, followed by step 7

Step 8: fish pieces added, cooked and ready to serve

Cheers!
Rick Grounds