Ingredients
- 500 grams stargazer/monkfish fillets (you could also use ling or shark)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 brown onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 green chili, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 lemongrass (white only), finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Spice mix:
- ½ cinnamon quill
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Handful of curry leaves
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 300 millilitres coconut milk
- Handful of fresh coriander leaves
- Jasmine rice and flatbread, to serve
Who doesn’t love a good curry? They are comforting in the winter months as well as being a simple one-pot meal. This Sri Lankan-style curry is super simple, fragrant and light – the perfect balance to showcase, but not overpower, the fish. We have used stargazer (monkfish) here. It’s robust, so keeps its form in curries and soups, and has a succulent flesh and light flavour. This recipe has gained accolades such as, “this might be the best curry I have ever had” from Jen, our Seafood New Zealand comms star.
Method
- Cut the fish into hunky, bite-sized pieces, put in a bowl with turmeric and lime juice and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the spices and vegetables.
- Heat a large pan or wok to medium hot and add a glug of plain oil (eg, canola). Throw in the onion, chilli, lemongrass and garlic. Let this soften but be careful it doesn’t burn. You might want your extractor fan on to deal with the chili vapours!
- Add the spice mix and curry leaves and fry for a couple more minutes before adding the tomato and tamarind paste. Once the tamarind and tomato have incorporated into the rest of the mix, add the coconut milk and bring to a lively simmer.
- Now for the star(gazer) of the show – gently plop the marinated fish into the curry and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Throw in a decent amount of coarsely chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice and your favourite flatbread. Enjoy!
Recipe by Zak Olsen and Tamar Wells
