There are all-day curries, those that require the toasting and grinding of whole, hard-to-find spices (preferably by hand with a mortar and pestle). The flavors are slowly and deliberately teased out of the ingredients, cooked in stages, and the whole dish is a masterful work of art by the end.
Then there are speedy, convenient, toss-everything-into-one-pot curries that use pre-ground spice blends while offering up an apology for the shortcuts. “Great for weeknights,” the headnote might read, “quick and easy!”
This one walks the line between the two. It does call for pre-ground spices (just make sure they are fresh), but creates a particular blend of garam masala, cumin, and coriander that works beautifully with fish. And then, while the whole dish is made in one pan, the aromatics and vegetables for the sauce are cooked in batches, building up layers of flavors to perfume the dish, which is then finished with lime and creamy coconut milk.
It’s a little too involved for a weeknight dinner, but isn’t at all daunting—perfect to make for friends on the weekend after you’ve hauled home that inevitable bag of end-of-summer zucchini, onions and tomatoes from the farmers’ market.
Fragrant Curried Fish with Tomatoes, Peppers, and Coconut Milk
Serves 4
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ¼ pound white fish fillets
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons coconut, peanut, olive, or safflower oil
1 large sweet or red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, thinly sliced
¾ pound zucchini, diced
1 pound (2 large) sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 small red chilies
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lime, plus lime wedges for serving
1 ¼ pounds large, ripe tomatoes, halved and grated (see Etc.)
2/3 cup coconut milk, plus more as needed
Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for serving
¼ cup chopped cilantro
10 basil leaves, torn
- In a small bowl, stir together the garam masala, cumin, coriander, ½teaspoon salt and pepper. Season the fillets with the seasoning mixture and let rest for 20 minutes.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the fillets and cook without moving them around in the pan, for about 2 minutes per side, until just cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer the fillets to a plate. Don’t worry if some of the skin sticks to the pan, it will add flavor to the sauce later.
- Warm 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and add the onion and fennel. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, about 10 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown, making sure to scrap the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. If the pan gets too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water (you will probably need to do this). Transfer the onions and fennel to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil to the skillet along with zucchini. Cook zucchini in a single layer without moving until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced peppers and red chilies and another ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir and cook until the peppers soften, about 10 minutes.
- Grate the zest from the lime and squeeze out the juice. Stir the lime zest and garlic into the pan, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the tomato puree and the onion-fennel mixture and simmer, on high, for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice and cook another 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Taste and add more salt as needed.
- Add the fish back to the pan and, using a spatula, break it up a bit so it can absorb the sauce. Stir in chopped cilantro and basil. Taste and if the sauce is too intense, stir in more coconut milk to taste. If it tastes dull, add a squeeze of lime juice. Serve with lime wedges.
Etc.
- To grate the tomatoes, rub the cut side of the halves on the large holes of a box grater until you hit the skin. Work over a bowl to catch the juicy tomato puree. Discard the tomato skin, or save for another creative purpose—and let me know what that is!
More recipes from Melissa
Wine and cheese puffs
Buttery roast chicken with black garlic
Skillet chicken with green onions
Comments