Indian Fish Curry

This enchanting curry boasts a vivid yellow color and bright flavors from a medley of spices. The fish itself cooks in very little time, but slowly simmering the sauce in advance helps the flavors of the spices to bloom. If your slow cooker doesn’t have a flameproof insert, you can use a sauté pan to cook the spices and vegetables, deglaze the pan and transfer the contents of the pan to your slow cooker. Serve this dish over hot cooked basmati rice.

Indian Fish Curry

1/3 cup (3 fl. oz./80 ml) canola oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 small hot green chiles, seeded and minced

1-inch (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 Tbs. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. brown mustard seeds

2 tsp. ground turmeric

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 Tbs. sugar

Kosher salt

2 lb. (1 kg) firm, mild white fish fillets such as tilapia, cod or halibut, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) chunks

3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Place the flameproof insert of a slow cooker on the stove top over medium-high heat, then add the oil and warm until hot. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chiles, ginger, cumin, coriander, mustard and turmeric and cook, stirring, until the spices are fragrant and evenly coat the onion, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar and 1 tsp. salt and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to release their juices, about 1 minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups (12 fl. oz./375 ml) water and deglaze the insert, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the insert bottom with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil.

Transfer the insert to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Check the sauce halfway through the total cooking time; if it seems to be getting too thick, stir in more water, about 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) at a time. Uncover and add the fish, stirring gently to coat it with the sauce. Re-cover and continue to cook on low for about 30 minutes more. The fish should be opaque throughout and the sauce should be thick. Season with salt.

Transfer the curry to individual bowls and garnish with the cilantro. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Learn to make the most of your slow cooker with this and other inspiring
recipes in our Quick Slow Cooking, by Kim Laidlaw.