Indian Fish Curry

When the weather gets a bit chillier, I pull out my folder of comforting midweek meals and this Fish curry is always popular with the family.  Fish can be very expensive, but if you keep an eye on the blackboard at any good fish counter, you can pick up some fantastic deals on white fish.  For instance, you may notice Cod might be priced very high, while the Hake or Haddock offers a more economical alternative, with no compromise on the tastiness of a meal. This fish curry can be made with any white fish, and even prawns.

The creaminess of this curry comes from Cashew nuts rather than cream or coconut milk!

Serves 6

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

    1.2kg haddock, skinless, pinboned, cut into large chunks
    1 tbsp turmeric
    30g butter
    2 tbsp sunflower oil
    1 tbsp fennel seeds
    1 tsp cumin seeds
    10 cardamom pods, crushed, seeds only
    1 cinnamon, stick
    2 onion, sliced
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    2cm ginger, finely chopped
    1 tbsp tomato purée
    400g tin chopped tomatoes
    1 red chilli, chopped
    100g cashew nuts, soaked in water for at least two hours before use
    1 lt fish stock (or mild chicken stock)
    1 orange, juice of
    1 tbsp sugar
    20g coriander, stalks and leaves separated
    Salt

1. Place the haddock in a bowl, toss it in turmeric and a pinch of salt, then set it aside.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a large, wide, heavy-based pan. Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick and stir to toast for one minute.
3. Add the onions and sauté briefly before reducing the heat, adding the garlic and ginger and cooking gently for five minutes. If the pan is too dry, add more oil.
4. Stir in the tomato purée, then add the chopped tomatoes, chilli, soaked cashew nuts, coriander stalks, fish stock and orange juice. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until rich and reduced.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick. Blitz the sauce until smooth with a stick blender, then season to taste with sugar and salt. Return to a simmer, add the fish and simmer for approximately six minutes until the fish is cooked, then stir in the chopped coriander leaves. Serve with steaming hot rice.