Meen mulakittathu (Kerala red fish curry). Add an extra oomph to your everyday meal with this vibrant red fish curry. The bold and distinctive flavor of coccum makes it so unique and delicious. Best of all, it’s highly nutritious and can be made in a jiffy.
I have always been fascinated by the rich and diverse cuisines around the world. Honestly, there’s something about exploring and immersing yourself in a foodie dream of flavors and deliciousness.
However, every now and then, my heart yearns to go back to my roots, and enjoy the warmth of traditional homemade food. Growing up, fish was an absolute staple in my household. And obviously, this red fish curry also called meen mulakittathu was a favorite.
This fish curry is a delightful blend of robust Indian flavors - spicy, tangy, and of course, totally lip-smacking. The flavors develop overtime, so make this curry a day before to allow the fish pieces to soak in the vibrant sauce.
Obviously, the vibrant sauce gets its color from red chili powder. In this case, Kashmiri chili powder to reduce the heat. However, feel free to add in regular chili powder to level up the heat factor.
Another important ingredient in this meen mulakittathu recipe is coccum. It imparts the unique tangy flavor to the curry that’s very similar to tamarind. But, don’t substitute coccum with tamarind, that's an absolute ‘no-no’ in this recipe.
Traditionally, this red fish curry is made in claypots. If you don’t own one, just use your regular frying pan.
Talking about the type of fish used in this recipe, I have opted for my favorite salmon. Other varieties like kingfish, barramundi, tilapia, mackerel, black bream and snapper taste delectable cooked in the red sauce.
Besides red chili powder, you’ll also need ground turmeric and fenugreek seeds to create the classic curry. Ginger, garlic and a few curry leaves add the much needed touch of flavor.
Serve this meen mulakittathu with rotis or over a bed of rice to soak up the lovely flavors of the sauce.
More fish curry recipes:
- Kerala Fish Curry
- Fish Coconut Curry
- Malabar Fish Roast
- Meen Pollichathu | Fish Cooked in Banana Leaf
- Fish Tikka Masala
- Brazilian Fish Stew | Moqueca
- Fish Molee | Kerala Fish Stew
- Goan Fish Curry
- Fish Masala
Meen Mulakittathu | Red Fish Curry | Video
Ingredients
- 3 large coccum
- 2 tablespoon oil coconut oil preferred
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 7 shallots chopped
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 inch fresh ginger sliced
- 2 green chilies slit
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric turmeric powder
- 3 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander coriander powder, (optional)
- 1 and ½ cups water
- 500 g fish cleaned and cut into 5 cm cubes (I used salmon)
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and soak coccum in ¼ cup lukewarm water. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let them crackle. Add one sprig of curry leaves. Fry for few seconds.
- Add shallots, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until browned.
- Add garlic, ginger and green chilies. Sauté, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low. Add ground turmeric, ground coriander (if using), and red chili powder. Sauté, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
- Add 1 ½ cups water. Season with salt. Stir to combine. Bring to boil. Add fish pieces and soaked coccum with water. Add a sprig of curry leaves. Stir gently to combine.
- Cook, covered, for about 6-7 minutes or until fish is cooked through. As the cooked fish pieces are very delicate, stir very gently.
Video
Notes
- Coccum is easily available from Indian grocery stores
Nutrition
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Mia Jack says
Made this last night and it's another instant favorite in our house. We also used salmon and it was extremely delicious.