Tamarind Fish Curry Recipe

By
Denise D'silva Sankhé
Denise D'silva Sankhé is a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats.
Denise D'silva Sankhé

Denise is the author of The Beyond Curry Indian Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through India. She wrote the popular Beyond Curry column for Serious Eats starting in 2012.

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Updated April 04, 2025
2013.09.01-Indian Tamarind-Fish-curry.jpg
Tart tamarind and mild, tender fish are a classic pairing in Indian cuisine. Prasanna Sankhe

Tart tamarind and mild, tender fish are a classic pairing in Indian cuisine. Here, the fruit provides a welcome contrast to a spice blend of coriander, chili powder, cumin, fennel seeds, and turmeric. Though the amount of tamarind might initially seem excessive, the sourness actually mellows as the curry simmers, the sauce greedily absorbed by a finishing addition of fluffy white rice.

The dish is traditionally served with fried fish, shrimp, or even squid. In some homes, the fish head is also used in the curry base, ensuring that the whole fish is put to good use. In small hotels that specialize in seafood, the spicy, tangy rassa, or curry, is so popular that it's dished out in unlimited quantities.

Recipe Details

Tamarind Fish Curry Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 10 mins
Active 20 mins
Total 15 mins
Serves 2 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 4 fillets king fish (or any firm fleshed sea fish) about 6 ounces each

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 3 medium cloves garlic sliced fine

  • 6 curry leaves

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder

  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder

  • 2 teaspoons cumin powder

  • 1 teaspoon toasted and ground fennel seeds

  • 1 tablespoon tamarind soaked in 1 1/2 cup water

  • 2 teaspoons rice flour dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Directions

  1. In a bowl, toss fish with turmeric and salt. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add curry leaves and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Reduce heat to low. In quick succession, add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and fennel powder, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute (take care not to burn the spices. Add a few teaspoons of water if you smell burning and stir it vigorously).

  2. Add the fish to the spiced oil mixture and stir gently to coat the fish with the oil. Let this infuse for about 10 seconds. Add the tamarind soaked water and gently stir the mixture to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once at a boil add the rice flour dissolved in water and stir. Allow to simmer uncovered for 1 minute then remove from heat. Serve hot with white rice and papadums.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
469Calories
18gFat
10gCarbs
69gProtein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories469
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g23%
Saturated Fat 4g21%
Cholesterol 146mg49%
Sodium 366mg16%
Total Carbohydrate 10g4%
Dietary Fiber 2g7%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 69g
Vitamin C 4mg19%
Calcium 94mg7%
Iron 5mg27%
Potassium 1162mg25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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