While the comments do take on a positive nature for the most part, for a few people (never gave it a try) the idea of Curry Tuna (from a can) is a bit repulsive. Join the discussion on Instagram. I can guarantee you that it’s an incredible curry dish and you’ll be amazed by the overall flavors you’ll enjoy… by such a simple recipe.
You’ll Need…
tuna in oil (3 small cans) 6-8 Grape tomato (chopped) Onion (sliced or diced) Garlic (crushed) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder (geera) 2 Scallion (chopped) 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper 3/4 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup water 1 tablespoon chopped Cilantro
TIP! Be sure to watch the video below to get further tips on this classic curry fish recipe, from the Caribbean.
Prep all the ingredients in advance and you’ll find that the cook-time goes quick and smooth. Dice, chop and crush. I used an entire Scotch Bonnet pepper but you can use as much as you can handle or none.. you’re in control. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling such spicy peppers.
Drain the cans of tuna and reserve the oil. May I recommend that you try to get tuna packaged in oil vs water as we’ll use the oil (which is already flavored by the tuna) in making this dish. Pour the oil in a saucepan on med/low heat and add the garlic, followed by the Caribbean Green seasoning, black pepper and Scotch Bonnet pepper. Turn the heat to low and cook gently for 3 minutes.
With your heat still on low, add the curry powder and roasted cumin (geera) and stir well. Cook for a further 4 minutes to allow the spices to bloom.
Turn the heat up slightly and add the drained tuna to the pan. Stir well.
It’s now time to add the tomato, onion, scallions and salt. Stir well, then add the water. Basically all you have to do now is allow for the onion and tomatoes to soften and take on some of that lovely curry flavor. Turn the heat down to a simmer (once it come to a boil) and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add more water if you find it’s too dry or if it starts sticking.
May I recommend that you chop the onion into large pieces as I find that the chunky nature adds to the overall texture of the dish. I used grape tomatoes, but any tomato will work (it’s what I had on hand in the fridge). Top with the cilantro (or Culantro) as you turn off the stove and stir well. It will brighten up the dish at the end. Yes, a few drops of lime juice would be good as well.
As a side to hot steaming rice and you’re set for a comforting meal. Add sliced cucumber, watercress and avocado on the side, and you just made things even more enjoyable.
While I didn’t grow up eating this dish onthe islands (simply because I don’t ever recall mom having access to crayfish), it’s quite common to see me make it when I visit the Asian supermarkets and they have crayfish (frozen) in stock. The trick is to not over-cook the the crayfish, while using it a base for flavoring the entire curry.
You’ll Need…
1 lb crayfish (crawfish) 1 med onion (sliced) 4-6 cloves garlic (smashed/crushed) 1 1/4 teaspoon salt (divided) 1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder (divided) 3/4 teaspoon black pepper (divided) 4 -5 cups water 1 small habanero pepper (optional) 2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning(divided) 2-3 tablespoon coconut oil 5 medium potatoes (1-2 inch pieces) 1 teaspoon roasted Geera (cumin) 1 tablespoon Cilantro (chopped fine)
Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use, as some may have flour as a filler/thickener.
Wash the crayfish with 1/2 lemon or 1/2 lime (juice) and cool water. Drain and squeeze dry (especially if the crayfish was previously frozen as in my case).
Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 of the black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon curry powder and 1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning. Mix well and marinate for 10-115 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoon of coconut oil in a saucepan on a medium flame. Add the seasoned crayfish, stir well, then crank up the heat to high. Cook for 1.5 to 2 minutes, then remove the crayfish and set aside. I used a slotted spoon.
Turn the heat down to medium now (same saucepan), add the onion, garlic, remaining black pepper, habanero pepper (remove the seeds ad white membrane around the seeds to tame the heat a bit if you want) and the remaining Caribbean Green Seasoning. Stir to combine and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Once the liquid is burnt off and you can see the oil we started off with (add more coconut oil here if you wish), add the remaining curry powder and stir well.
Turn the heat to low so we don’t burn the curry. After 2-3 minutes, add 1/2 cup of water along with the roasted cumin (geera). Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the liquid burns off. This is your curry base.
Now add the potato and stir to coat the pieces of potato with the curry, then add 4 cups of water and remaining salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, lid on (slightly ajar) and cook for 20 minutes and the potato is falling-apart tender.
Once the potato is tender, you can crank up the heat and crush a few pieces of potato to thicken the gravy. Now add the pre-cooked crayfish to the pot. Do keep in mind that this dish is meant to have a sauce or gravy and that it will thicken considerably as it cools down.
Cook for a minute or two, add the cilantro and taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Enjoy!
Here’s another one of those dishes I disliked as a young fella on the islands, but as an adult it definitely hits the spot when I’m looking for something warm and comforting. Especially when I’m not too lazy to make hot Sada Roti. I’m sure this combination of mango and fish came about as a means of stretching the dish when one didn’t have a lot of fish and a few people to feed. Plus the tartness of the green mango works well with the curry base as well.
You’ll Need…
2-3 lbs fish (white ocean fish)
1/2 lime (for washing the fish)
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (divided)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (for seasoning the fish)
1 cup water
oil for frying the fish (about 2 cups veg oil)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoon veg oil
2 heaping tablespoon curry powder
1/2 small onion
4 cloves garlic
1/2 medium tomato
2 scallions
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 large green mango (cut into pieces)
Season the cleaned/washed fish with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, salt, 1/2 the black pepper and the 1/2 teaspoon curry powder. Allow it to marinate for an hr, then lightly dust in the flour and fry on each side for about 4 minutes each. Set aside to drain on paper towels. I gave each fish a couple cuts on the thickest part of the belly to help the marinade get in and to help in cook evenly. (wash the fish with cool water and the juice of the lime, before you begin)
In the same bowl you marinated the fish, add the water and swish around to pick up any remaining marinade. Set aside. Wash and cut the mango (I discarded the seed) into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
In another wide pan heat the 2 tablespoon veg oil, then add the diced onion and garlic.. reduce the heat to low so you don’t burn the garlic. Add as much Caribbean Sunshine (Scotch Bonnet pepper) as you think you can handle and stir well. heat low.
With the heat still on low, add the remaining black pepper and the curry powder. Stir well. Cook on low for 3-4 minutes to cook off any raw curry taste.
It will go clumpy, darker in color and your kitchen will have the lovely aroma of the spices which makes up a good curry powder. Add the pieces of mango and stir well to coat. Then go in with the water we reserved in the bowl we seasoned the fish in. Turn up the heat and bring to boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for 6-8 minutes.
The mango should be somewhat tender at this point (cook longer if you want it more tender), push things around and add the previously fried fish to the pot. be gentle as we don’t want to break the fish. Try to spoon on some of the gravy over the fish to coat it. Add a bit more water if you need. Top with the scallions and diced tomato, then simmer with the lid on the pot for 5 minutes.
Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. The mango should be tender and you should have a lovely curry sauce/gravy to eat with your steamed rice, roti or boiled ground provision. Please be mindful that the fish I used had bones.. you may use boneless fish pieces if you want. As mentioned in the video, I completely forgot the name of the fish I used, but I do know it’s an ocean fish (white).
I do hope you give this curry fish with pieces of tender green mango a try. The flavor will be unlike any curry dish you’ve ever had.
A while back while doing one of those internet “20 Questions” I was asked “what would be your last meal?” and without even blinking my eye I said “my moms curry king fish”. Every winter before our parents head back down to the Caribbean to revel in that wonderful Caribbean sunshine, it’s my dad’s job to search out a huge King fish at the local Asian grocery stores and mom’s chore, is to ress ah curry on it.
My dad is very picky when it comes to choosing the ‘right’ King fish, so he starts his search about a month in advance. Maybe I’ll get him to share his tips with us in a coming video in the Food FAQ channel. After making a huge pot of curry king fish, she them place a slice along with some of the rich gravy into freezer containers (yup, we have special containers just for this yearly tradition) and they’re then sent down to me to last the winter. That woman’s curry fish is absolutely divine and though I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to really duplicate her recipe as she does.
You’ll Need…
4 slices King Fish (about 1.5 lbs)
1 onion
1 tomato
1 tablespoon Caribbean green seasoning
2 cloves garlic
3 leaves shado beni (or cilantro)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup water
4 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoon veg oil
oil for frying the fish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup bell pepper (optional)
1 scallion (green onion/spring onion)
1/2 teaspoon amchar masala
Notes: You’ll need the juice of half a lime or lemon to wash the fish as it’s typically done in the Caribbean. The King fish slices will have a center bone, so do let your guests know when serving. The bell pepper is not a traditional ingredient, but I’m making use of it before it goes bad in my fridge.
To make your own amchar masala, toast the following in a dry frying pan… 4 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp whole fennel seeds, 1 tsp brown mustard seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds and then grind in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
Wash the slices of King fish with the juice of half a lime or lemon and some cool water, drain and set aside as you chop the onion, scallion, garlic, tomato and scotch bonnet pepper. As we’ve discussed in the past try not to use any of the seeds in the scotch bonnet of you don’t want that raw heat, remember to wear gloves if you’ve sensitive skin and don’t forget to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling them. Give the shado beni a rough chop as well and set aside for later.
Place the fish slices in a large bowl and season with the salt, black pepper, tomato, scallions, scotch bonnet pepper, amchar masala, 1/3 of the curry powder, 1/2 of the onion, green seasoning and bell pepper if you choose to use it.
Seal the bowl with some plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour. After which it’s time to quickly fry each slice of fish as part of this tasty curry fish recipe. I basically had a small station set up. The seasoned fish, a plate with the flour, the oil for frying (about 2 cups veg oil) and a wire basket lined with paper towels to drain off extra oil after frying.
Shake off any extra marinade on the fish, then dust in flour and place in the hot oil. Be gentle when placing the fish in the hot oil, so it doesn’t splatter and burn you. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes (until you start getting a bit of colour) as we don’t want to overcook the fish. We will be cooking it further when we create the curry sauce. Place the fried pieces of fish on the paper towels to drain as we create the tasty curry sauce.
In a deep saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoon of veg oil on med/high heat, then toss in the remaining half of the onion and garlic. Reduce your heat to low and let that gently cook for a couple minutes. You should have a nice flavor base started at this point, so it’s time to toss in the remaining curry powder (I used a madras blend from the Caribbean) and stir well. It will start to go darker and grainy. Stir and allow to bloom for 3 minutes! Your kitchen should have that ‘wicked’ scent by now. It’s now time to empty all the marinade (chopped stuff) into the pot and give it a good stir. Turn your heat to medium and bring to a boil. In the same bowl you had the fish marinating, add the 1 cup of water to is and swish it around to pick up any remaining marinade.
Pour in that water into the pan and bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 3-5 minutes to allow all those flavors to marry and make good things happen in that pan.
It’s now time to gently add back the pieces of fish to the pot to help complete the curry fish dish. I simply used my hands to do this part as I didn’t want the fish to fall apart and I had to shake the fish pieces so they would make it among the lovely sauce. Allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes and if you can.. flip the pieces of fish. If not, spoon some of that curry sauce all over the fish as it simmers away.
The sauce will start to thicken up, the fish will be infused by all the wonderful flavors we created and your curry fish will now be ready to serve. Rice, roti, ground provision.. even on it’s own, this curry fish will be a hit! As you turn off the stove, top with the chopped shado beni (or cilantro) and place the lid on the pan. The remaining heat will heighten the natural flavor of the shado beni and it will add a lovely undertone.
Note: Remember the sauce will thicken further after it cools down and the residual heat form the pan will also contribute to this, so don’t worry if the sauce seems a bit runny at first.
Admittedly this is an excellent curry King fish, but it’s nothing as scrumptious as the curry fish our mom makes… among other things.
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I had a serious craving for some curry, about 10 pm last night and I didn’t want to wait for any of the frozen meats we had in the freezer to thaw out. Kinda late to be eating a heavy meal, but eating late is the norm for me (and it shows). I hit the pantry and found a couple cans of pink salmon, so I decided to make one of those quick dishes that doesn’t get the acclamation it deserves. BTW, here’s another way to make this dish without the curry: Gourmet salmon from a can?
You’ll Need…
1 can Salmon – 213g (I used Pink Pacific)
1 small onion sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced/crushed
1/4 hot pepper (optional, but adds the kick to the curry)
1 scallion
1 teaspoon curry powder (your favorite)
1 tablespoon oil
dash of black pepper
* You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt, as I find that most canned foods are already loaded with salt. Add as you feel is necessary.
Prep the onion, garlic, pepper and scallion. Then in a saucepan on medium/high heat, heat the oil. Add the sliced onion and garlic and cook for a couple minutes on medium heat. Allow to soften and release it’s natural oils.
Now add the slices of hot pepper and allow to cook for about a minute, then add the curry powder and stir well. Let that cook (stir) cook for about 2 minutes, then add about 5 tablespoons of water and stir to pick up all the curry that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Turn down the heat to low and allow the curry paste to cook for about 3-5 minutes… until all the liquid cooks off. The next step is to empty the can of salmon into the pot and break apart (add the liquid from the can as well). Try to keep it in flakes, so there’s some texture to the final outcome. Mix in the scallion and tomato and cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer (covered).
With the lid on, it will spring some of it’s own juices. Cook this for about 5 minutes or until it thickens a bit. Remember to stir a couple times, but try not to break-up the fish too much.
I had some leftover rice in the fridge, so it was a complete meal. I really wish I could add some slices of cucumber to my plate, but cucumber and late nights does not work well for my digestion.
This is a super-fast way to enjoy a lovely curry fish meal, that’s full of body and a unique punch of flavors. Before I go I’d like to remind you to leave me your comments below (it’s always appreciated), share this recipe with your friends by sending them the link to the website and do join us on Facebook as we grow our already large Caribbean food community. All you have to do is click on the facebook image below to get started.
