South Indian Style monkfish curry recipe made with monkfish fillets and aromatic creamy curry sauce. One of the best fish curry recipes you can cook everything from scratch in 30 minutes. All you need are simple ingredients, fresh herbs, and cupboard-friendly spices.
We love to cook fish, prawns, and squids, in flavourful curries! If you love rich creamy coconut curries like us, you might also love our Prawn Curry with Coconut Milk and Thai Red Prawn Curry recipes.
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What is Monkfish?
Monkfish has a unique succulent texture, meaty, and sweet in flavour. It is also known as ' Poor Man's Lobster ' because it is very similar to lobster in texture but a lot cheaper than lobster. Pricier than regular white fish fillets.
What is the best way to cook monkfish? One of my favourite ways is to cook in the rich creamy indulgent curry sauce! If you are bored of regular pan-fried, steamed, or baked monkfish recipes, you must definitely try this curried monkfish!
Ingredients & Variations
Following is a quick guide and details measurement is available on the recipe card, at the bottom of the page.
- Monkfish - is mild, sweet, firm, meaty, and similar to lobster. To prepare, wash the monkfish fillets, pat dry with a paper towel, and then cut them into medium bite-size pieces. Instead of monkfish, you can add your choice of meaty white fish fillets, like cod, halibut, haddock, basa, etc.
- Curry leaf - has a unique citrus, and pungent aroma and is ideal for this recipe. If you cannot get curry leaves you can omit it.
- Tamarind paste - You can use readymade tamarind paste with no added sugar or spices. Or you can make it from tamarind pulp by soaking it in hot water for a few minutes. Then mash it with your hand, then strain the bits with a mesh strainer.
- Kashmiri Chilli - Instead of Kashmiri chilli powder you can use regular chilli powder hot or mild to your preference. If you prefer mild curry, you might want to reduce green chilies and add paprika powder instead of chilli powder.
- Coconut milk - I usually add creamy Thai coconut milk like Aroy-D or Chaokoh brands. Add your choice of full-fat or full-cream coconut milk.
- Mustard seeds ( black ) - ideal for this Indian fish curry recipe and it has a pungent, nutty, fresh flavour.
- Pantry staple spices - The rest of the spices are pantry staples that you can easily find in your kitchen cupboard.
How to cook it
- Heat the pan to medium heat, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Let them sizzle for a few seconds, then add chopped shallots and cook until soft and translucent.
- Next, garlic paste and ginger paste and continue sautee until the onions are brown. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are reduced and oil separates.
- Add ground spices, turmeric, chilli, garam masala, and coriander powder. Stir it well for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Pour the warm water in and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then add the coconut milk and salt to taste. Bring it to a simmer.
- Now, place the monkfish pieces in the curry sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes or until cooked.
- Stir in tamarind juice and green chillies. Let it cook for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and finish with coriander.
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve with plain basmati rice, naan, or chapati.
Top tip
- Make sure not to overcook the fish. Cook the curry sauce to your desired consistency then add the fish pieces. Monkfish is cooked very quickly, and it takes only 3-5 minutes to be cooked.
- Pat dry the fish with a paper towel or clean cloth to remove excess moisture.
- Cook the fish slowly and stir gently to prevent it from breaking apart.
- You can freeze the curry leaves in the fridge or freezer for later use. They last in the freezer for a couple of months. Pat dry the leaves with a paper towel, then keep them in an air-tight bag or container.
- Curry sauce can be thicker after being cooked. You might want to adjust the consistency by adding warm water.
Frequently asked questions
If you have any leftovers you can freeze them or keep it in the fridge for later use. Let it cool down completely, then store it in an air-tight container. It usually lasts in the fridge for a couple of days and in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Simply reheat it over the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot. Make sure not to over reheated it as the monkfish can be easily overcooked.
Serve with plain basmati rice, coconut rice, turmeric rice, pulao, naan, chapati, or a choice of flatbread. Pair with Indian onion salad, bhajis, pakoras, or a choice of side dishes.
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Monkfish Curry
Equipment
- Large cooking pot/pan
Ingredients
- 500 gram Monkfish fillet About 17.6oz ( Cut into medium bite-size pieces )
- 3-4 Shallot onion Finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Garlic paste Or finely grated garlic
- ½ tbsp Ginger paste Or finely grated ginger
- 1-2 Tomato Finely chopped
- 4-5 Green chilli Cut ½ inch pieces or thin slices
- handful Coriander Roughly chopped
- 200 ml Coconut milk Full cream/full fat
- 10-12 Curry leaves Optional , see details in note
- 1½ tsp Salt Or adjust salt to taste
- 2 tsp Tamarind paste See details in note
- 2-3 tbsp Oil Vegetable oil or , peanut, canola, etc
- 1 cup Water Warm water
Spices
- 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder See details in note
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala Or choice of curry powder
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds Zeera/Jeera seeds
Instructions
- Heat the pan to medium heat, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Let them sizzle for a few seconds, then add chopped shallots and cook until soft and translucent.
- Next, garlic paste and ginger paste and continue sautee until the onions are brown. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are reduced and oil separates.
- Add ground spices, turmeric, chilli, garam masala, and coriander powder. Stir it well for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Pour the warm water in and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then add the coconut milk and salt to taste. Bring it to a simmer.
- Now, place the monkfish pieces in the curry sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through.
- Stir in tamarind juice and green chillies. Let it cook for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and finish with coriander.
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve with plain basmati rice, naan, or chapati.
Notes
- Monkfish - is mild, sweet, firm, meaty, and similar to lobster. To prepare, wash the monkfish fillets, pat dry with a paper towel, and then cut them into medium bite-size pieces. Instead of monkfish, you can add your choice of meaty white fish fillets, like cod, halibut, haddock, basa, etc.
- Curry leaf - has a unique citrus, and pungent aroma and is ideal for this recipe. If you cannot get curry leaves you can omit it.
- Tamarind paste - You can use readymade tamarind paste with no added sugar or spices. Or you can make it from tamarind pulp by soaking it in hot water for a few minutes. Then mash it with your hand, then strain the bits with a mesh strainer.
- Kashmiri Chilli - Instead of Kashmiri chilli powder you can use regular chilli powder hot or mild to your preference. If you prefer mild curry, you might want to reduce green chilies and add paprika powder instead of chilli powder.
- Coconut milk - I usually add creamy Thai coconut milk like Aroy-D or Chokoh brands. Add your choice of full-fat or full-cream coconut milk.
- Can you freeze it? If you have any leftovers you can freeze them or keep it in the fridge for later use. Let it cool down completely, then store it in an air-tight container. It usually lasts in the fridge for a couple of days and in the fridge for up to 3 months.
- Can you reheat it? Simply reheat it over the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot. Make sure not to over reheated it as the monkfish can be easily overcooked.
- What to serve with this dish? Serve with plain basmati rice, coconut rice, turmeric rice, pulao, naan, chapati, or a choice of flatbread. Pair with Indian onion salad, bhajis, pakoras, or a choice of side dishes.
Suzanne says
We tried the Burmese fish curry recipe and thought it was the best fish curry we've had, until we tried this recipe. My husband doesn't like tamarind or coconut milk, so I substituted some lime zest, lime juice, and a pinch of muscovado sugar for the tamarind, and used Greek yogurt instead of coconut milk. We've had this with both monkfish and cod, and while the cod was great, the monkfish is even better. Will definitely make this again. I also discovered that you can freeze the sauce (without the fish or yogurt - add those after you've defrosted the sauce).
Dean Jackson says
Hi Khin
I’m a avid follower of your Facebook page and recipes , we are going to cook your Monkfish Curry this evening and as I’ve done many of your recipes it will be stunning. Have you got a site that I can subscribe to please
Many Thanks
And Kind Cooking Regards
Dean Jackson
Khin says
Hi Dean, thank you for trying out our recipes and sharing lovely feedback. You can sign up on my website for new recipe uploads.