Spicy Madras Fish Curry is a spicy tangy fish curry that is popular in India and other parts of the world too. The curry is made with basic ingredients like onions, green chillies, tomatoes, tamarind as base. It's a comforting, home-style Tamil Nadu fish curry that is spicy, tangy, and full of real South Indian flavour. Enjoy madras fish curry with steamed rice.

Madras Fish Curry

You all know I try different fish curries each week, this week it was Madras fish curry and it turned out to be delicious. The curry is tangy and spicy and very flavourful. Some fish curry uses coconut or coconut milk to form the gravy, but this doesn't use coconut.

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About Madras Fish Curry
Ingredients
Step by Step Pictures
Expert Tips
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About Madras Fish Curry

Madras fish curry is an onion and tomato based curry along with tamarind. Coconut is not used in this curry. This fish curry is one of the favourite dishes as tamarind goes into it. I should also say that one of my favourite breakfasts is this Madras fish curry with dosa.

The special thing about this curry is, it has no coconut. The tamarind used in this is less too. The flavour comes from the onions and tomatoes used in this. The onion tomato masala and the spice powder added in this will make this curry thick and gravy like.

I used a combination of spice powders in this dish, if you can find Madras curry powder use that instead to form the curry.

Madras fish curry is a simple, traditional South Indian fish curry that comes from Tamil Nadu. It is made by cooking fish in a tangy tamarind gravy with everyday spices like red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, lots of garlic, small onions, curry leaves, and gingelly (sesame) oil.

Fish pieces are gently simmered in the gravy so they soak up all the flavours. It is usually cooked in a clay pot (mann chatti), which makes it taste even better the next day.

Madras fish curry is most commonly eaten with hot rice, and it tastes better after resting for a few hours or overnight.

Best Fish to Make Madras Fish Curry

Seer fish (Vanjaram / King fish)
Pomfret (Vavval)
Sardines (Mathi / Chaala)
Mackerel (Ayala / Bangda)
Red Snapper (Sankara / Chempalli)
Barracuda (Sheela / Ooli)
or you can use Fresh water fish like Rohu / Katla

Ingredients

Fish - use any firm fish like king fish, seer fish for making this curry.

Onions - some times I used shallots or onions for making this. You can use a combination of both.

Tomatoes - chop them finely, choose ripe tomatoes for best taste and texture.

Green chillies - purely for flavour, adjust to your liking.

Spice Powders - I used a combination of regular chilli powder, kashmiri chilli powde,r coriander powder, turmeric powder.

Whole Spices - for tempering use mustard, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and dry red chillies.

Tamarind - add more or less depending on your taste.

Step by Step Pictures

1)Soak tamarind in some water, squeeze them well and strain it and set aside.

2)Take fish and the marinating spices and mix well.

3)leave it to marinate until you make the curry.

4)Heat a earthernware pot, add in oil and add in mustard, fenugreek, dry chilli and curry leaves.

5)Add in onions and green chillies.

5)Saute this until it gets slightly translucent.

6)Add in finely chopped tomatoes.

7)cook until tomatoes turn mushy.

8)add in the spice powders and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

9) along with a splash of water and mix well.

10)Cook till oil separates.

11)Now add in tamarind water.

12)and salt, add more water as needed.

13)Bring it to a boil.

14)Now add in fish and mix well.

15)Bring it to a boil again and simmer for 10 to 15 mins.

16)Now add in fresh curry leaves and coriander leaves.

17)Mix well and serve over rice.

Expert Tips

You can taste and adjust tamarind and chillies to your preference.
And depending on the consistency you prefer, you can add more or less water.
Use bone-in fish for best tasting fish curry, since bone imparts lots of flavour.
Be generous with the gingelly oil.