Sri Lankan Fish Curry
I recently picked up a copy of Madhur Jaffrey’s At Home with Madhur Jaffrey because I am on a never-ending quest to become adept at making the Indian food that I so love. This book’s appeal begins with Madhur Jaffrey, a grand dame of Indian cookery and winner of six James Beard awards, continues with the promise of sharing a collection of accessible dishes that she grew up eating in India and is sealed by the inclusion of recipes from the family of South Asian nations (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka). In this cookbook, Jaffrey deconstructs classic techniques and simplifies recipes to make them part of everyday cooking. There are still seasonings that every spice rack might not contain but none too exotic that you won’t find use for in the future. Paraphrasing from Jaffray’s introduction, “…to make Indian dishes as simple and straightforward to prepare as, say, a beef stew…I now try to reach Indian tastes by using simpler methods and fewer steps.”
It was hard to know where to start with this cookbook, so many recipes made my mouth water, that I ended up making four dishes on the first night. A veritable South Asian feast! Our favorite of the meal was Sri Lankan Fish Curry. Now if my oldest son is reading this, he knows where this is going. Kyle’s freshman roommate and my self-proclaimed “favorite child” is Damien, of Sri Lankan descent. To meet Damien is to be immediately charmed and his relationship with Kyle is what every mother hopes for their child’s freshman roommate. The two have become brothers and it warms my heart. But I promise you that Damien aside, this fish dish is fabulous. If, like me, you are unfamiliar with Sri Lankan food, it’s not a “curry” in the traditional sense, or at least not the American expectation of curry. There is no paste in this dish or powdered curry, but rather fresh curry leaves that simmer in the sauce. You may need to pop into an Asian market (or Whole Foods?) to pick up the curry leaves but I promise you will find them and like me, can store the leaves in your freezer between recipes. Jaffray says that you can substitute fresh basil leaves and while I obviously trust her, I have not tried the recipe with that substitution. Other than that, you’ll need brown mustard seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric and a splash of coconut milk–all things that should be in your pantry, regardless. The fish featured in this recipe is swordfish but you can substitute any firm variety that holds it’s shape–salmon, sole, haddock, etc.
I encourage you to travel to Sri Lanka with this recipe, because who doesn’t miss travel and the opportunity to visit exotic locales? I know that I will continue to dream through food until we can safely explore the world again. Enjoy!
Sri Lankan Fish Curry
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless swordfish, 3/4-1-inch thick, skin removed or salmon, sole, haddock
- salt
- 3 Tbls olive or canola oil
- 1/4 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp whole fennel seeds
- 1/3 c finely chopped red onions
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 15-20 fresh curry leaves or 10 fresh basil leaves, torn up
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 c coconut milk from a well-shaken can
Instructions
- Cut the fish crossways into as many pieces as there are diners. Sprinkle each piece lightly with 1/4 tsp of salt on both sides.
- Put the oil in a frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, put in the fennel seeds and the onions. Stir and fry on medium heat until the onions soften a bit, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and curry leaves. Stir another minute. Now add the tomatoes, turmeric and cayenne. Stir a minute. Add 1/2 c water and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Cover, turn heat to low, and cook gently for 10 minutes.
- Put the fish into this sauce and cook on medum-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until one side of the fish turns opaque. Turn the fish pieces over. Add the coconut milk, stir the sauce gently, and bring to a simmer again on medium heat, spooning the sauce over the fish. When the fish turns opaque all the way through, it is done.