Easy fish curry in a tomato and onion sauce

This easy fish curry recipe in a delicious tomato and onion sauce ticks all the boxes for a quick and easy supper. Super fast to make, only one pan, and packed with flavour. If you like a good curry, you are going to love this one! And it only takes half-an-hour, start to finish.

Quick and easy fish curry

This quick and easy fish curry recipe is the ideal meal to make when you don’t have much time. It only takes half an hour start to finish, but it tastes as though you’ve spent hours.

The chunks of fish are juicy and succulent, because they are steamed in the tomato and onion based curry sauce rather than being pan fried. And the flavours of the spices in the sauce just beg to be soaked up with a dish of white rice or naan bread.

Even though there are quite a lot of spices in this easy fish curry, there is not too much chili, so you get all the flavour without the heat. This is actually quite a mild curry and therefore suited to all ages. If you do like a bit more heat you can just add a little more chili to spice it up a notch.

How to make easy fish curry

This recipe for easy fish curry makes 2 servings. You can of course just double up on the ingredients to make a larger batch. To get the complete recipe, see the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

You will need

To make this easy fish curry you will need some firm white fish. I allowed 120g (4.25 ounces) of fish per person, but you can increase this according to your appetite. You can use any firm white fish. I used cod, but you could also use tilapia, haddock, pollock, basa, hake or baramundi. I wouldn’t use something like sole though, because this is a very delicate fish and would break up in the sauce.

You will also need some finely sliced onions and chopped tomatoes. You will need the same amount by volume of each.

For the spice mixture will need ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, chili, garlic and salt. You can use fresh garlic or you can use crushed garlic from a jar.

In addition to the above, you will need sunflower or canola oil for frying the onions.

Make the curry sauce

Peel and slice the onions, and chop the tomatoes (image 1).

Fry the onions in oil in a large frying pan for a few minutes until they start to soften. Then add the spices and stir through. Continue to fry for another minute or two until the spices start to release their aroma (image 2),

Now add the tomatoes and stir through. At this point I like to add 1 teaspoon of sugar to cut through the tartness of the tomatoes. This is optional, and you can leave out the sugar if you prefer (image 3).

Add 1/2 cup of water, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer for about 10 minutes (image 4).

Steam the fish

After 10 minutes, remove the lid and stir the sauce. If it is too thick, you can add another 1/2 cup of water (image 1), but don’t let the sauce become too runny. The fish will release moisture as it steams and this will add to the sauce.

Taste for seasoning, and add salt if necessary, and also any additional chili if you think the heat isn’t sufficient for your taste.

Cut the fish into bite-sized portions (image 2) and then arrange on top of the sauce (image 3).

Cover with a lid and allow to steam gently for 7 to 10 minutes until the fish is cooked through (image 4). The length of cooking time will depend on the thickness of the pieces of fish.

Stir the fish into the curry sauce to coat all the pieces, then transfer to a serving dish and serve with a bowl of white rice or slices naan bread.

Can I freeze fish curry

Yes you can freeze my easy fish curry. Allow the curry to cool and then pack into meal-sized portions and freeze for up to 3 months.

To use, allow the fish curry to defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan until piping hot. Do not overcook.

Serve immediately with rice or naan bread.

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Convert grams to cups

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Recipe – easy fish curry in a tomato and onion sauce

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Easy fish curry in a tomato and onion sauce

Perfectly cooked pieces of fish in a flavourful curry sauce. Make it as mild or as spicy as you like

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Western

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 320kcal

Author: VJ

Equipment

• Sharp Knife
• Chopping Board
• Large frying pan
• Spatula
• Serving dish

Ingredients

• 240 g cod or other firm white fish cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large onion finely sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes more or less to your own taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil for frying
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• ½ teaspoon salt to taste (optional)

Instructions

• Peel and finely slice the onions and cut the tomatoes into coarse pieces.
• Cut the fish into bite-sized chunks,
• Measure the spices onto a plate.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the onions and fry gently until they start to soften.
• Add the spices and stir well to coat the onions.
• Fry gently for another minute or so until the spices release their aroma.
• Add the tomatoes and stir through. You can optionally add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the tomatoes to cut through the tartness.
• Add 1/2 cup water, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes
• If the water evapourates you can add another 1/2 cup of water.
• Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. If you need more heat, add a little more chili.
• Arrange the fish on top of the sauce, cover with a lid, keep the heat to a gentle simmer and allow to steam gently for 7 to 10 minutes. The timing will depend on the thickness of the fish pieces.
• Remove the lid, stir the fish and sauce to combine and ladle into a serving dish.
• Serve immediately with white rice and slices of naan bread.

Notes

The onions and tomatoes should be approximately equal quantities by volume.

I always add 1 teaspoon of sugar when I am cooking with tomatoes, to cut through the tartness and enhance the flavour.  This is totally optional.

When adding water to the sauce, do not add too much.  The fish will release its own moisture when it steams and this will add more liquid.  You don’t want the sauce to be too runny.

Adjust the heat of the fish curry by adjusting the amount of chili you add.

The cooked fish and curry sauce can be frozen together for up to 3 months.  Defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave until piping hot.

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only.  If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

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