This fish molee is a delicious and simple fish curry from the part of India that I come from: Kerala. Kerala is known for fish dishes and for dishes that include coconut in one form or another: coconut oil, coconut milk, chopped or grated coconut, etc. Fish molee curry has both fish and coconut. It’s one of the milder curries, but full of flavor. Ladle it on a mound of white rice and you’ll want to lick the bowl clean. Curry leaves should be available from a South Asian grocery store but feel free to omit them if you can’t find them.
You can make the curry mild or spicy by adjusting the amount or type of chili pepper you use. Fish Molee is a fairly quick dish to put together for a weeknight, provided you have the ingredients on hand.
Fish Molee Curry
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 cups onions thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp ginger minced
- 1 green chilli split in half lengthwise (the type of chilli depends on spice level you desire)
- 10 curry leaves optional
- 1 cup tomato chopped
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 lbs firm fish fillets cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 thin slices tomato
- Fresh cilantro leaves optional
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Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan with oil over medium heat and add the cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. Fry for a few seconds till heated.
- Add the onions, garlic, ginger, green chilli and curry leaves (if using) and fry until the onions are translucent.
- Add the tomato and fry until the tomato becomes soft and separates from the oil, about 10 minutes.
- Add coriander, cumin, turmeric and black pepper and stir for 1 minute.
- Push the tomato mixture to the sides and carefully place the fish pieces in a single layer in the middle.
- Using a spoon, gently smear the spice paste over the fish.
- Combine the coconut milk with water and pour over the fish.
- Gently swirl the pan to allow the coconut milk to mix with the fish.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked. (Do not stir the dish, since the fish is very fragile).
- Carefully transfer the fish pieces to a serving dish and pour the sauce over the top.
- Garnish with tomato slices and cilantro leaves, if using.
- Serve over white rice.
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Kim
Delicious!
Gari-Lyn Langbecker
Thank you! I made the instant pot version of this recipe tonight with some Halibut from the freezer. Was so delicious. It got an immediate, “this is a keeper” reaction at the table. I served it over riced cauliflower. Absolutely delicious and easy. Thank you for the detailed instructions for both types of instant pots!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Awesome Gari-Lyn! I love it when people like my South Indian recipes 🙂
Dhanya
Hi Neena,
Thanks for this recipe, I’m looking forward to trying it. I like a milder fish curry sometimes, compared to the traditional red fish curry I usually make, and this looks perfect.
Question – what kind of fish have you used in this recipe? It looks firm and fleshy. I recently used boned tilapia steaks to make fish curry, and while it was tasty, it was a little cumbersome to remove all the bones while eating.
Thanks again.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Dhanya – I use tilapia too -but fillets. Lately I’ve been buying frozen wild-caught cod from Costco because I’m trying to get away from farm raised. It’s quite firm, but it’s also quite mild – so it depends what kind of fish you like.