Instant Pot 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.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
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!
I always keep a bag of Costco wild-caught Pacific cod in my freezer so I can make something quick and easy like fish tacos or this Instant Pot Fish Curry. You may think that the Instant Pot would overcook fish, but I’ve not found that to be the case.
My recipe for Instant Pot Fish Curry is based on a traditional and popular fish curry called Fish Molee or Meen Molee (pronounced ‘Moe-lee’) from the state of Kerala, in the southern part of India, where my family is from.
I adapted the recipe from my stovetop version of Fish Molee Curry. It’s a fairly easy recipe to make on the stovetop, so that’s also an option.
This fish curry, like many South Indian recipes, has a coconut milk gravy. If you’re familiar with Indian curries, you may notice that this recipe is different: it’s a fairly mild dish, with some very simple ingredients. Some recipes for Fish Molee don’t even have coriander and cumin. Any spiciness in the curry comes from the green chilies.
If you’re looking for an easy and delicious Instant Pot fish recipe, this fish curry is one worth trying out!
Here are some Instant Pot Indian recipes you might like to try out!
– Instant Pot Chicken Curry Soup
– Instant Pot Cashew Butter Chicken
– Instant Pot Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower)
– Instant Pot Chicken Curry Soup
– Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
– Instant Pot Coconut Beef Curry
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Fish
I use a firm, fleshy white fish like cod or haddock, or salmon. The fish pieces I use are usually an inch or more in thickness.
If you’re using a thinner or flakier fish fillet like tilapia, it’s possible you could overcook the fish in the Instant Pot. Either reduce cooking time or pressure cook the fish at low pressure for 3 minutes. Be very careful when removing the fish not to let it break apart.
When I forget to thaw the fish, I cut the frozen cod into pieces and follow the same recipe without changing cooking time. If it needs to be cooked further, use the Saute function for a couple of minutes. Works great!
Onions
Most recipes call for sliced onions. My family prefers the onions to be diced. Feel free to use sliced onions.
Curry Leaves
If you are able to find fresh curry leaves, heat the oil and add about 10 to 12 leaves to the oil first, before sauteing other ingredients.
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.
Note: Curry leaves have no relationship to curry powder! If you’ve never used curry leaves, you really should try them out; the aroma and flavor are heavenly!
Spices
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: first saute a cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, and 4 cardamom pods. And then add onions.
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.
You can slice the green chili pieces in half lengthwise and that makes it easier to identify and remove them if you need to, before serving.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- General Instant Pot Instructions for Beginners
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Fish Curry – Ingredients
- Fish
- Onion
- Tomato
- Coconut milk
- Black pepper
- Coriander
- Turmeric
- Coconut oil
- Cumin
- Lime juice
- Salt
- Green chili
- Garlic
- Ginger
How to Make Fish Curry in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute onions
- Saute tomatoes
- Saute spices
- Add coconut milk and fish
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Stir in lime and cilantro
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute Onions
- Add coconut oil to the 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.
Saute Tomatoes
- Stir onion mixture until onions are translucent.
- Add tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes release their liquid and start breaking down.
Saute Spices
- Add in the 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.
Add Coconut Milk and Fish
- 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 2 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press Manual or Pressure Cook and + or – until the display reads 2 (2 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 2 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 2 minutes (00:02).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- 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.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Stir in Lime and Cilantro
- Add lime juice to the fish curry.
- Gently stir the curry without breaking up the fish.
- Carefully remove fish and gravy into a serving bowl. Garnish Instant Pot fish curry with cilantro and sliced tomatoes, if desired. Serve over rice.
Instant Pot Fish Curry | South Indian Fish Molee
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 10 curry leaves optional
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- ½ serrano or jalapeno chili pepper sliced or slit (use 1 whole chili for spicy)
- 1 cup tomato chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tablespoon water for deglazing
- 1 cup coconut milk about ½ of 14 oz. can
- 1 ½ lbs fish fillets (⅔ kg) e.g. firm white 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 on High Pressure for 2 minutes. *
- Do a Quick Release of pressure (QR) and open the lid. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- 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.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, tomatoes, etc.
- Optional: saute a cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, and 4 cardamom pods before adding onions.
- * If Instant Pot has the low pressure option, you will get flakier and more consistently cooked fish if you pressure cook on low pressure for 4 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.
Nutrition
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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.
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Mike says
I’ve just got an IP and have only tried a couple of recipes so still feeling my way.
However the two curries I’ve done (from other sites, sorry!) have been really good so I would like to try this fish curry but I have one Q – I’d really prefer to use lower fat (lite) coconut milk to keep it a little healthier, do you think this recipe would still work? I’m assuming it would just be a bit less thick/creamy so am wondering if you there is anything extra I could add that would keep the thicker texture? (I suppose I could use a tablespoon or so of cornstarch slurry but I’m not sure if that would wreck it?)
Neena Panicker says
Hi Mike, I can understand why you’d want to use lite coconut milk. It will still be good, just a little thinner. I don’t think cornstarch will ruin it. If you find it too thin, I think it’s worth trying out.
Md Milton Ali says
This Curry Fish recipe is an absolute game-changer! The blend of aromatic spices creates a symphony of flavors that dance on your taste buds. The combination of tender fish chunks and rich, savory curry sauce is pure perfection. I followed the recipe step by step, and the result was a mouthwatering dish that impressed everyone at the dinner table. The spices were perfectly balanced, and the fish absorbed the delicious curry goodness. It’s a fantastic way to elevate your seafood game and introduce a burst of exotic flavors to your meals. This Curry Fish recipe has become a staple in my kitchen, and I can’t wait to share it with friends and family. Thanks for read.
Neena Panicker says
Thank you so much for the kind words and I’m so glad you enjoyed the fish curry recipe.
Nicole says
Great recipe but let it sit before quick releasing the pressure to avoid spraying your kitchen with yellow coconut milk!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Nicole, since the fish continues to cook while in the pressure cooker, you may want to do an intermittent quick release which is where you release for a second, pause, and repeat until the steam is not coming out in force. See my post on the different types of pressure release.
Kristin L says
This was delicious, thank you!! Next time I’ll make it a lot spicier (I didn’t have the chiles). The flavours were wonderful.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Kristin! I’m glad you liked it.
Amy Little says
Perfect fish curry for anyone who does not prefer spicy. Substituted green chilis in a can for the peppers. This was a perfect recipe to try Indian curry on finicky eaters. Fish was soo tender, I used tilapia filets.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m glad you were able to make the recipe mild enough for your tastes, Amy!
Tina says
Hi. What does one cup equate to in grams (for tomatoes and onions)? I would like to make this tomorrow so appreciate if you could respond.
Thanks
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Tina, I’d say about 125 grams of onion and 200 grams of tomatoes. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Lindsey says
We love this recipe! Our favourite way to eat fish – hands down. I have also used the sauce as a curry base and added potatoes/veggies or chicken instead of fish. We love the spice combination. Delicious!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
That’s so great to hear, Lindsey. I love that you change it up!
Amy Little says
Perfect fish curry for anyone who does not prefer spicy. Substituted green chilis in a can for the peppers. This was a perfect recipe to try Indian curry on finicky eaters. Fish was soo tender, I used tilapia filets.
Millie says
I don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand. Do you think a bit of tomato paste could work?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Millie – do you have canned? – they would work better than paste. I wouldn’t use paste. Just omit the tomatoes if you don’t have them.
Jean Heath UK says
Made this for dinner yesterday and must say it was delicious. Used defrosted frozen fish as we don’t have a fish monger near to where we live but it was fine, held together beautifully. Thank you for the recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m thrilled that you gave the recipe a try and enjoyed it!
Sanjeev says
Hi there,
Is it possible to double the recipe in an 8-quart IP?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Sanjeev, yes you can double the recipe, cooking time stays the same.
Lynda says
First time cooking fish in my new instant pot duo nova. I plan to include the cinnamon, clove, cardamom and wonder if I leave in for the cook or remove them after sauteing? I’m not a big fan of cloves so will only add one to capture the essence will that work? Your recipes and instructions look great, I can’t wait to try them all.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Lynda, you can pressure cook the whole spices and then remove them when you eat, that’s what we do. The whole cloves aren’t overwhelming, but you can certainly omit or reduce – shouldn’t affect the taste too much.
Lauren Chandaver says
My toddler is a picky eater, but he LOVES this! And my husband requests it very regularly, even though I omit the chili for the toddler. Thank you so much for something that makes my entire family happy!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Lauren, thank you for that! I’m so happy to hear your baby loves the recipe 🙂
Deborah says
It was delicious. I also didn’t have all the ingredients so substituted a few things.
1)I used curry powder
2) I didn’t have fresh tomatoes so used tomatoes from a can and drained the liquid.
3) I used olive oil
4) I used cod.
Wonderful flavour.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Deborah, I’m glad you were to make it work with some good substitutions!
Tellinor says
Given we’re in a pandemic, my trips to the store are limited. So I worked with what I had at home. I flash fried the salmon in a pan to give it more structure prior to placing in my IP. I also didn’t have ground coriander so I substituted my homemade masala mix and added in 3/4 tsp curry powder (after all this is a curry!). After I followed all of the instructions, everything tasted great! But I ended up removing the the fish and used a hand blender to blend the gravy smooth. I returned the fish to the pot and garnished with fresh cilantro. This recipe is a real winner! Keep the recipes coming!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Awesome! Thanks for your comment and I’m glad to hear you liked it.
josh says
Thanks so much for your recipe. Your instructions (with pictures of the instant pot and how to use it) are the most detailed I have found, and really nice for someone who just bought this gadget but are afraid to use it! I can’t wait to try the recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Josh, I appreciate that! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Tina says
This was delicious! To make it healthier can I leave out the coconut milk?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Tina, I wouldn’t recommend it. This recipe’s star is the coconut milk. Omitting it would change the flavor completely. Sorry 🙂
Sean Lee says
Loved this recipe. Tried this with trout and it turned out perfect.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Sean – I’m so happy you liked the recipe and it worked out for you.
Sharmila Nair says
Family LOVED it. Made it with Instant Pot 6qt. Added some okra with it.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Oh thank you so much, Sharmila! I’m really happy to hear you liked it. Great idea to add some veggies too.
Jill Dulitsky says
LOVE this! Found by googling frozen fish curry instant pot. It’s a real winner and very forgiving (subbed garlic powder and freeze dried ginger for fresh). I added extra veggies to bulk up. I used Trader Joe’s frozen cod and didn’t defrost. The whole family loved it! Will definitely add to the Covid rotation.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jill, thank you for your lovely comment – it made my day! I am so glad it worked for you, even with frozen fish.
Lindsey Davis says
First time I have made this, new Insta Pot. Left out the peppers and husband said add more tomato. However it was delicious. We like fish so this will be a definite make again.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks for commenting, Lindsey! I’m happy you like the recipe. I also garnish the curry with fresh tomatoes sometimes. That might be an option for you too!