Indian Recipes
Madras Red Fish Curry (Meen Kari)
Chunks of white fish gently poached in a tangy, fiery red sauce of tomato, tamarind, chilli and curry leaves, in the style of Tamil Nadu.
- Serves 4
- Prep 15 min
- Cook 30 min
- Indian
Method
Rub the fish with ½ teaspoon of turmeric and ½ teaspoon of salt and set aside while you make the sauce.
Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pan. Add the mustard seeds and, when they start to pop, the fennel seeds and curry leaves. Stir for a few seconds, then add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes until golden.
Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies and cook for 2 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the chilli powder, paprika, ground coriander and turmeric for 30 seconds without letting them burn.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until they collapse. Stir in the tamarind, the water and ½ teaspoon of salt, and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is rich and slightly thickened.
Slide in the fish in a single layer, spoon the sauce over and simmer very gently for 5–6 minutes, shaking the pan rather than stirring so the pieces stay whole, until the fish just flakes. Scatter with coriander and serve with plain rice.
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Chef’s notes
- Kashmiri chilli powder gives a deep red colour with less heat; use it in place of the chilli powder and paprika if you can find it.
- The sauce can be made a day ahead; reheat it and add the fish just before serving.
How this recipe was developed
The old Cookeryonline page reproduced a published recipe, so we wrote a new one. We based it on Rick Stein’s Madras fish curry from his India travels, adapted for fish easily found in the UK.
- Tamarind and tomato. Rick Stein’s Madras fish curry gets its sour depth from tamarind and tinned tomato, with plenty of curry leaves and Kashmiri chilli.
- Fish added last. He simmers the sauce for about 10 minutes until rich and reduced, then cooks the fish in it for about 5; rubbing the fish with turmeric and salt first is our addition.
- Fish choice. His recipe uses snapper; haddock, pollock or hake are good firm UK alternatives.
Sources we compared (ratings as shown on each site on 31 October 2026):
This is an original Cookeryonline recipe written in our own words. Ingredient choices and techniques are credited above; no source text has been copied.