Being a Bengali – a fish eating Indian community from West Bengal – I need my dose of fish at least once a week! And with so many regions in the coastal belt of India, there are as many fish curries and more. As a result, I have a lovely choice of making a different curry every week! One of my favourite fish curries is from Mangalore – from the state of Karnataka – the surmai (seer fish) gassi. The star ingredient of this curry is the type of dry red chillies used. These are the Byadagi chillies – that gives this coconut based curry its distinct flavour and colour. However, if you don’t find them you could replace them with the chillies that you have. Of course, this would alter the authentic taste but you won’t be denying yourself a delicious fish curry.
This curry is a burst of flavours – spice, sour, sweet, creamy. Spice from the chillies, acidity from the tamarind, sweetness and the creaminess from the coconut. And not to forget, the beautiful aroma the curry leaves impart.
Also, seer fish comes from the sea, hence it is quite saline. You will notice, this salinity adds to the flavour of the curry too. Another thing, this is a pretty meaty fish, so a surmai gassi with steamed rice is one leisurely weekend lunch.
For the curry, you will need to make a spice paste – which is all you would need to do as far as prepping is concerned. So it is a fairly quick and easy meal. I have used seer fish or surmai for the curry but you could use prawns, pomfret, Indian mackerel (bangra), crabs or even clams.
I am sure Mangalorean households would have their own family surmai (seer fish) gassi recipes. This one is my take on it!
Let’s take a look at it!
Also, do check my recipes for
Bengali fish curry with potatoes and cauliflower
Sorshe salmon (salmon in mustard curry)
Red chutney stuffed tandoori pomfret
Eat hearty!
Surmai gassi
Ingredients
- 450 grams Surmai or seer fish fillets
- 1 big onion diced
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 7-8 Byadagi chillies or any dried red chillies
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 cup fresh grated coconut
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 3-4 fresh green chillies optional
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the fish pieces and pat them dry using a kitchen towel. Rub some salt and turmeric powder on them and set aside
- Using half a cup of water make a smooth, fine paste with the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, grated coconut, fenugreek seeds, garlic cloves, diced onions, turmeric powder and the dried red chillies
- Heat a wok with the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds
- When they splutter, add the sliced onions. Fry them until soft and translucent
- Add the curry leaves, the prepared spice paste and mix well over medium heat. Fry until oil separates the pan and the paste dries out
- Add the coconut milk and cook for 3-4 minutes
- Now add the tamarind pulp, salt, green chillies and a cup of water and let simmer for another 5 minutes
- Once the curry starts bubbling, add the fish pieces
- Let the fish cook in the curry. This should take around 7-8 minutes
- Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice and some papad on the side!
Notes
- Coconut oil can be replaced with cooking oil of your choice. However, coconut oil add more flavour to the curry
- Different fishes have different cooking time. So, when not using surmai or seer fish keep a check
- Be mindful while adding salt to the gravy since the fishes would already have some from the marination
- Check for taste of the gravy before adding the fish pieces. Too much of stirring to adjust for salt etc later on could result in broken fish pieces
- The spice paste can be used to make chicken curry too. The recipe remains the same
Awesome!
Loving your work already ❤️
Thank you so much sweetheart!!