Atlanta’s Fish Curry – Sumptuous Spices In Coconut And Tamarind

I’ve been meaning to share this guest post for at least six months, but until now, never managed to recreate the lovely dish Atlanta prepared nonchalantly in Cornwall this summer. This was despite her sending me the recipe straight afterwards, in curry-coloured font. A long ingredient list – like many curries – but don’t let that put you off this delicious, easy recipe. At last I’ve got close to Atlanta’s version, unsurprisingly by taking fewer liberties than in previous attempts…

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon cardamom pods, crushed with the back of a big knife, the seeds taken out and the husks discarded
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

• 2 onions, chopped finely
• 3 green chillies, chopped finely – taste a bit of chilli before you chop. If it is too hot, remove the seeds and the white flesh that is attached to them
• 4cm ginger, grated – there’s no need to peel it, as recently verified by the Guardian
• 3 tablespoons oil

• 12 small/cherry tomatoes – if you can be bothered, remove the skins by dunking the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for a minute, and then into cold water, which should make the skins slip off easily. I think it is worth it.
• 12 or more curry leaves – Not essential, but worth seeking out, as they keep for yonks in the freezer and do taste good.
• 2 teaspoons tamarind paste
• 1 1/2 tins of coconut milk, shaken – I used the other half tin in a Madhur Jaffrey Sri Lankan curried carrot dish to serve alongside. Simmer carrots in the remaining coconut milk, with softened shallots; a chilli; a little cumin, coriander, fennel, cayenne and turmeric; and a dozen more curry leaves, for 10 minutes till soft and comforting.

• 600g firm white fish, in large bite-sized chunks – Atlanta specifies cod, I used monkfish and prawns this time
• 100g green beans, sliced – or a few spring onions, as I did
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

• 2 limes, one to squeeze; the other cut in wedges to serve alongside
• a bunch of coriander, coarsely chopped

Assemble and prep all the ingredients first and then get the rice on, as the curry only takes 15-20 minutes to cook once you have it all ready. Measure out the five different whole spices (don’t spread artfully on a chopping board like my photo, as they go everywhere.) Fry them in a dry pan for a minute or two, until they start to smell good and the mustard seeds begin to pop. Grind the toasted spices in a spice grinder – or pestle and mortar – and mix with the remaining ground spices. Peel the tomatoes now if you’re going to do that.

Fry the onions, ginger and chillies together in the oil over low/medium heat with a little salt, until they are soft and the onions are starting to turn golden. Stir in the spices and curry leaves and cook for two minutes more. Add the tomatoes, tamarind and a tin of coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer for ten minutes.

Add the chunks of fish to the simmering sauce (followed shortly after by the prawns, as they take less time), plus beans/spring onions and desiccated coconut . If too dry, add some or all of the remaining half tin of coconut milk. Resist the urge to stir, as the fish will break up. Take off the heat as soon as the fish is opaque (5-10 minutes max) and squeeze over the lime juice. Serve on rice with coriander stirred in at the last moment.