This easy, lean and absolutely delicious basa fish curry is a perfect weeknight dinner you can make in only 15 minutes. White basa fish is marinated for a few hours before being cooked in a quick homemade curry sauce.
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Curry is one of my favorite dishes, and we eat them regularly at my house. I like to change things up and add different ingredients to my curries (which is how my popular hummus curry was invented).
This recipe makes a very typical Indian style curry with basa fish as the main ingredient. Basa fish is accessible and affordable in the UK, but other types of white fish can also be used.
Because basa is such a mild fish, and curry has such a strong flavor, this dish does not really taste of fish at all. This basa curry is therefore the perfect recipe for someone that doesn't normally enjoy fish.
🥘 Ingredients
To make this fantastic basa fish curry, you will need fresh basa fish fillets (or thawed frozen fillets), ginger paste, tomato paste, Greek or natural yogurt, curry powder, onion, garlic cloves, chili, curry powder, garam masala, salt and pepper.
As with most curries, the ingredient list can seem daunting, but most of these ingredients are used in almost every curry. They are cupboard essentials for anyone who makes curry regularly!
I like to use skinless and boneless basa fillets, as they are the very easy to manage. If your fish has bones in, you will have fish bones in your curry.
💡 TIP! If you don't have basa fish, you can use any white fish of your choice.
🔪 Instructions
First, we will create a marinade by combining ginger paste, tomato paste, Greek yogurt and curry powder in a small bowl. Chop the basa fillets in bite sized pieces, and place them in a bowl. Add the marinade to the fish, and stir to coat evenly.
Place the fish in the refrigerator, and leave it to marinade for at least 30 minutes, or up to several hours. I like to do this step in the morning, and leave the fish in the refrigerator until I'm ready to finish dinner in the afternoon. This allows the fish to absorb the curry flavor.
Heat up the oil in a pot on medium heat, and add finely diced onion. Sauté the onion for a few minutes until it's soft and translucent. Add finely minced garlic and chili, and sauté for another minute.
Then, add the curry powder, tomato paste, and the fish to the pot along with all of the marinade.
Cook the fish curry while stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until the fish has cooked through. You'll know that the fish is ready when it starts to flake at the touch of a fork. Avoid overcooking it, or the fish will flake and practically dissolve into the sauce.
Serve fish curry immediately while it's still hot with your favorite side dishes!
💭 Top tips
Here are all my best tips for making the perfect basa fish curry:
- Remember that the fish will cook through faster than you'd expect. It only needs a few minutes in the pot. Make sure not to overcook it, or it will be dry.
- Using quality ingredients such as a nice curry powder will make all the difference in this dish. You can buy premade curry powder, or make your own seasoning mix.
- Leave the fish to marinade for a few hours to increase the flavors in the dish. If you're short on time, you can skip this step.
🥗 Serving suggestions
Curry is such a beautiful dish, and it can be served in so many different ways. Here are some of my favorites:
- With rice: Plain white rice, or Thai coconut rice are excellent side dish options for any curry.
- With bread: Naan, roti and chapati are all traditional breads you can serve on the side.
- With chutney: A flavorful chutney can definitely brighten up this dish!
📖 Variations
Here are some ideas for how you can adjust the dish to suit your dietary needs:
No fish: Although I love this fish curry, you can replace the basa fish with chickpeas for a vegetarian version, or with chicken if you prefer to try something else.
More veggies: You can add some additional vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes or zucchini if you prefer. This is a great way to increase your daily vegetable consumption.
Oil free: If you don't like cooking with oil, you can replace it with a splash of water, butter or ghee.
🍲 Leftovers
Leftover basa fish curry can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat it for a few minutes in a microwave or on the stove top, and serve the leftovers warm.
I don't recommend freezing any leftover curry, as the fish will be very dry after thawing.
🍴 You might also like these recipes..
If you love healthy curry recipes, you should try any of these:
📋 Frequently asked questions
Many types of fish can be used in curry. Mild white fish is very common, such as cod, basa and sea bass are popular options. Mackerel and sardines are also commonly used.
Basa fillets are very mild in taste. They taste similar to other types of white fish, only with a more subtle flavor. This makes them perfect in dishes like curry, where the flavors in the sauce are dominant.
Recipe
Basa Fish Curry
Ingredients
- 4 basa fish fillets (500 g / 1 lbs)
Marinade
- 2 teaspoon ginger (or thumb sized piece of ginger)
- 4 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 tablespoon Greek yogurt (natural yogurt)
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
Curry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ red chili
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- First, we will create a marinade by combining ginger paste, tomato paste, Greek yogurt and curry powder in a small bowl. Chop the basa fillets in bite sized pieces, and place them in a bowl. Add the marinade to the fish, and stir to coat evenly.
- Place the fish in the refrigerator, and leave it to marinade for at least 30 minutes, or up to several hours. I like to do this step in the morning, and leave the fish in the refrigerator until I’m ready to finish dinner in the afternoon. This allows the fish to absorb the curry flavor.
- Heat up the oil in a pot on medium heat, and add finely diced onion. Sauté the onion for a few minutes until it’s soft and translucent. Add finely minced garlic and chili, and sauté for another minute.
- Then, add the curry powder, tomato paste, and the fish to the pot along with all the marinade.
- Cook the fish curry while stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until the fish has cooked through. You’ll know that the fish is ready when it starts to flake at the touch of a fork. Avoid overcooking it, or the fish will flake and practically dissolve into the sauce.
- Serve fish curry immediately while it’s still hot with your favorite side dishes!
Notes
Leftovers
Leftover basa fish curry can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat it for a few minutes in a microwave or on the stove top, and serve the leftovers warm.Top tips
Here are all my best tips for making the perfect basa fish curry:- Remember that the fish will cook through faster than you’d expect. It only needs a few minutes in the pot. Make sure not to overcook it, or it will be dry.
- Using quality ingredients such as a nice curry powder will make all the difference in this dish. You can buy premade curry powder, or make your own seasoning mix.
- Leave the fish to marinade for a few hours to increase the flavors in the dish. If you’re short on time, you can skip this step.
Mindaugas
It was okay, I think I have overcooked the fish in fear of it being raw though it's really hard to tell in the sauce. I think I overdone by putting to much sauce and would have liked it more if I knew what I was doing as it was my first curry dish... And at first I did not notice proper steps from beginning. Hope it's better next time. 😔 Other then that I feel like well cooked rice makes a difference too. Which for some damn reason did not want to cook. I should have followed the receipt to the letter and probably have avoided all of it from happening. Oh well... You live and learn. Is there anything you would suggest for the future? It truly is an art to be able to measure everything just by looking at it.
Tonje
Congratulations on trying your first curry dish! Fish curry is definitely a tricky one, as the fish goes from perfectly cooked to overcooked really fast. One of my favorite tips for new cooks is to measure and prepare everything before you start. So dice the onion, measure the seasoning and put it all in bowls. This way you can focus on just adding everything to the pot and stirring the curry. Also, keep in mind that the exact cooking time can vary depending on how warm your pot is and how large your fish chunks are. The best way to check if the curry is done is to simply touch one of the fish pieces with a fork - if the fish is flaky, the dish is ready to eat! Good luck 🙂