
Fish curry is a perfect weeknight winter meal because it takes very little time to cook and it’s light but comforting.
We often have it with rice. I mean what is curry without good rice? However, it’s also a perfect option if you’re on a low carb eating plan because it goes well with cauliflower rice. There is potato in this recipe – but you can leave this out and add zucchini. You can even add cauliflower florets instead of potato and have it as is. Yum.
When making fish curry it’s best to use a firm fish that doesn’t break apart too easily. I like using snoek. I wouldn’t use hake simply because it’s so delicate. You’d end up with a pot of flaked fish in your curry. If you can’t deal with snoek bones or don’t have access to it, Kingklip is a great option. Or simply ask your fish monger which fish would work well in a curry.
A little cooking tip: Prepare all your ingredients before you start cooking so that when you turn on the stove it’s all ready and waiting to go into the pot.

Ingredients ready to be cooked.
For the spices: There are two listed here that I get at my local spice shop. If you don’t have access to the kokhni or lijat, you can simply use some chilli powder and a bit of curry spice.

Fish curry waiting to be eaten.
It’s pretty simple to make. Try it and let me know what you think.


- 4 - 5 portions of firm white fish
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tomatoes, grated
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 medium potatoes, sliced 1.5cm thick
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp size piece of ginger, grated
- 4 curry leaves
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp kokhni masala
- 2 tsp lijat masala
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp salt
- Butter/ghee for sauteing onion
- Coriander to garnish at the end.
- Saute onion in butter/ghee until it softens and just starts to colour.
- Add curry leaves, garlic and ginger and cook for a minute or two - you should be able to start smelling the aromatics as it heats up.
- Add in tomato, tomato paste, salt, and spices.
- Cook for another minute or two before adding in the potato slices. YOu may need to add water at this point so that your food doesn't stick to the pot.
- Allow this to cook on a medium-high heat with the lid closed until the potato softens. How long will depend on your potato but check the tenderness every 5 minutes or so. It should take between 10 and 15 minutes.
- Once the potatoes have softened, add in the fish and spoon over the curry gravy and let it cook on medium until the fish is cooked through.
- Garnish with coriander.
- Serve with rice, sambals, and papadums.
- Don't be afraid to add some water to your pot. You don't want a dry curry. It should have decent amount of gravy that you can dish over your rice.