Instant Pot Indian Fish Curry is inspired by a popular fish curry that’s traditional in the Southern part of India. This mild coconut milk-based curry with a tinge of tartness is so quick and easy to make. Kick up the heat by adding more jalapeno or serrano chilies. Serve over rice.
Since I use the Instant Pot as much as I do, I find myself cooking a lot of meat and chicken dishes. But every so often I get a hankering for fish!
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Tips and Substitutions
– I use a firm, fleshy fish like cod or haddock. The fish pieces I use are usually an inch or more in thickness. If you’re using a thinner or flakier fish fillet, it’s possible you could overcook the fish. Either reduce cooking time or pressure cook the fish at low pressure for 5 minutes. Be very careful when removing the fish not to let it break apart.
– Most recipes call for sliced onions. My family prefers the onions to be diced. Feel free to use sliced onions.
– My original recipe for Fish Molee Curry calls for a cinnamon stick, whole cloves and cardamom pods. I’ve left them out in this version, but you can definitely include them: saute a cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, and 4 cardamom pods. And then add onions.
– If you are able to find fresh curry leaves, add about 10 leaves to the coconut oil first, before sauteing the onions. (Side note: if you’ve never used curry leaves, you really should try them out; the aroma and flavor are heavenly! You should be able to find curry leaves at Indian grocery stores or online.) And no, lime leaves, bay leaves, basil leaves are not even close – just omit curry leaves if you can’t get hold of them.
– I find that serrano green chilies have a more consistent heat level than jalapenos do. i.e. while one jalapeno pepper can be very spicy, another can be pretty mild. So I like to use serrano chili peppers in my cooking.
– When I forget to thaw the fish, I cut the frozen fish into pieces and follow the same recipe without changing cooking time. Works great!
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this Instant Pot Indian Fish Curry.
Instant Pot Indian Fish Curry Ingredients
How to Make Instant Pot Indian Fish Curry (Step-by-Step Instructions)
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the ‘Saute’ function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the ‘Saute’ function and press ‘Start’.
- Add coconut oil to pre-heated inner pot of Instant Pot and allow it to heat up.
- Add onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies to the inner pot.
- To guard against splatter, use a splatter screen.
- Stir onion mixture until onions are translucent.
- Add tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes release their liquid and start breaking down.
- Add in coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper and salt.
- Saute until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn! Press ‘Cancel’ at any time if you find it’s overheating. Turn back on once cooled down a bit.
- Deglaze with a tablespoon or two of water.
- Stir in coconut milk.
- Carefully add in fish pieces.
- Gently lift up and move the fish pieces around so that the coconut milk reaches the floor of the inner pot and the fish is coated with the liquid.
Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘2′ (2 minutes).
Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust time to 2 minutes (00:02).
- Press ‘Start’.
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 2 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up.
Instant Pot DUO Quick Release:
- Move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot ULTRA Quick Release:
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Add lime juice to the Instant Pot Indian Fish Curry.
- Gently stir the curry without breaking up the fish.
- Carefully remove fish and gravy into a serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro and sliced tomatoes, if desired. Serve over rice.
Instant Pot Indian Fish Curry
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 10 curry leaves optional
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 Tbsp garlic
- 1 Tbsp ginger
- 1/2 serrano or jalapeno chili pepper sliced or slit (use 1 whole chili for spicy)
- 1 cup tomato chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp water for deglazing
- 1 cup canned coconut milk about 1/2 of 14 oz. can
- 1 1/2 lbs fish fillets e.g. firm fish like cod or haddock, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tsp lime juice
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish optional
- Fresh tomato slices for garnish optional
Instructions
- Select the 'Saute' function and pre-heat the Instant Pot.
- Add coconut oil to the pre-heated inner pot of Instant Pot and allow it to heat up.
- Add curry leaves (if using) and stir for about 20 seconds.
- Add onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies to the inner pot.
- Stir onion mixture until onions are translucent.
- Add tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes release their liquid and start breaking down.
- Add in coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and salt.
- Saute until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn!
- Deglaze with a tablespoon or two of water.
- Stir in coconut milk.
- Carefully add in fish pieces.
- Gently lift up the fish pieces so that the coconut milk reaches the floor of the inner pot, and the fish is coated with the sauce.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 2 minutes. *
- Do a Quick Release of pressure (QR) and open the lid.
- Add lime juice to the Instant Pot Indian Fish Curry.
- Gently stir the curry without breaking up the fish.
- Carefully remove fish and gravy into a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped cilantro and fresh tomato slices.
- Serve over rice.
Video
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- Optional: saute a cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, and 4 cardamom pods before adding onions.
- * If your pieces of fish are thin and/or delicate, pressure cook on low pressure for 5 minutes and do a quick release of pressure (QR).
- At any point in the Saute mode, if you find that the ingredients are burning, press 'Cancel' and then resume the Saute function once the Instant Pot has cooled down.
- To guard against splatter, use a splatter screen.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
You might also like to try these Instant Pot Recipes:
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| Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala | Instant Pot Indian Chicken Curry | Instant Pot Aloo Gobi |
Pat
I love your “tried and true” recipes. I find your cooking times are bang on. I used thick pieces of bass for this. I was able to find curry leaves. Love shopping in ethnis stores for correct ingredients. I love to cook and your recipes are so easy to follow. Love my IP!!!! Keep on cookin’!!!!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Pat, what a lovely comment that’ll keep me going for the whole week and longer! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and I’m glad you liked the recipe. Don’t you love the aroma of curry leaves frying? – one of my favorite smells, that reminds me of my mom’s homecooking in India.
Bob
Hi, this is a delicious curry that the whole familiy enjoyed. Thanks!
Revati
I tried this today and it was finger licking good. Thank you for the recipe and the detailed IP instructions.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Revati, for your comment! I’m so glad you liked the recipe.
Julie Kerr
What a wonderful recipe! So simple and very easy to follow instructions. I was hesitant about the 2 min cook time but the fish was cooked to perfection. Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you for the review and comment, Julie. I’m always happy when someone likes a recipe that I’ve grown up with 🙂
Amy
Should I increase the cook time if I am starting with frozen fish? Or do you recommend I thaw the fish first?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Amy, I’ve actually made it with frozen fish (separated pieces, not a big chunk) and I didn’t change anything. Good luck!
Amy
Great! I can’t wait to try it.
Amy
I’ve made this recipe twice now- We LOVE it!! It comes together so quick even though there are several things to chop up. I add a bit more ginger and garlic than the recipe calls for- but that’s just because I love ginger and garlic.
Karen Manning
Sounds delicious. If I can’t find curry leaves, should Ivadd some curry powder?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Karen, curry powder and curry leaves are not related at all, so it’s best to just omit the curry leaves. You could sprinkle the final dish with some cilantro if you’d like. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Jacqueline
I have dried curry leaves…should I use 5? (I usually halve the amount when I use dried herbs.) What do you suggest? Can’t wait to try this!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jacqueline, in the case of dried curry leaves, I don’t think that you need to use less. I would use the same quantity. Hope you like the recipe!
Anne
Excellent thank you.
My fish was frozen – I just put the fillets in whole and did 4 minutes on high pressure with quick release and it turned out great.
Big hit with the family. Even my picky 7 year old loved it and asked if I could make it again tomorrow.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Anne, thank you for the feedback and also for sharing your experience. I do cook it from frozen too, and usually don’t need to change the cook time, but I do cut the pieces.
Suzanne
Neena,
I just discovered your blog, and this curry stew was soooooooo good! I had seconds and frankly had to stop myself from eating it all, since the family wasn’t eating with me. I will definitely be making this again!
I’ve also bookmarked the Indian recipes page, since we are all fans of Indian food here.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I love it when people enjoy my recipes that are authentic South Indian recipes – thanks for letting me know 🙂
Karen Sanford
This has great flavor! Served in a bowl with rice/quinoa mix amd a side of fresh sautéed spinach. I will make it again.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m so happy to hear you liked the Fish Molee recipe; thanks for your comment!
Sarah
Can’t wait to try this! Is there anyway I could add veggies? What would you recommend?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Sarah, I have never made it with vegetables. Since the cooking time is so short, you could cook the veggies with the fish I think. Good luck!
Abhinav
Really Fish curry is easy and awesome recipe ever cooked. I tried this recipe at home I love this recipe and my family member also love this fish curry.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Oh, thank you, Abhinav! That is so kind of you to comment and rate the recipe – I do appreciate it.