Sabor Vivo: Goan Coconut-Tamarind Fish Curry
Make it the LXV way
Spice blend
Sabor Vivo Spice Blend
Wine pairing
2024 Blanc De Franc
100% Cabernet Franc from Eckert Vineyard, Paso Robles. 250 cases. A rare white expression of Cabernet Franc — tropical, textured, and like nothing else in the portfolio.
Wine pairing
2024 Blanc de Sangiovese
100% Sangiovese from Santa Ynez Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara. 143 cases. Inspired by Capana Blanc de Sangiovese from Italy — the most delicate expression of the Sangiovese grape.
Goan curry and Peruvian cooking arrived at the same place from opposite directions — chili, vinegar, annatto, sour fruit — so Sabor Vivo, with its ají amarillo, annatto, red vinegar powder and lemon verbena, slots into a recheado masala as if it were designed for it. Tamarind and coconut do the rest. High acid, light body and no tannin to clash with the fish means these two whites are the only sensible answer.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs firm white fish (halibut, kingfish or snapper), in 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt, for rubbing the fish
- MASALA: 1 tbsp LXV Sabor Vivo Spice Blend
- 4 dried Kashmiri chilies, soaked in hot water 15 minutes
- 1 cup fresh or frozen grated coconut
- 6 garlic cloves and a 1-inch piece of ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp coriander seeds, dry-toasted
- 2 tbsp coconut or neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
- 10 fresh curry leaves
- 1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste, loosened in 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 green chilies, split lengthwise
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- Steamed red rice and lime wedges, to serve
Method
- Rub the fish with turmeric and salt and refrigerate 20 minutes. This firms the flesh so it holds together in the curry.
- Blend the soaked chilies (with a splash of their water), grated coconut, garlic, ginger, toasted cumin and coriander, and the LXV Sabor Vivo Spice Blend into a fine paste. Add water a tablespoon at a time — you want thick, not loose.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium. Cook the onion 8 minutes until soft and translucent, then add the curry leaves and let them crackle 20 seconds.
- Add the masala paste and fry 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens a shade and the oil rises at the edges. Undercooked masala tastes raw and chalky — this step is the whole dish.
- Pour in the coconut milk and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a bare simmer — never a boil, or the coconut milk will split.
- Add the tamarind water, green chilies and salt. Simmer 8 minutes so the sourness settles in.
- Slide in the fish in a single layer. Cover and cook 6-8 minutes at a bare simmer, spooning sauce over the top rather than stirring, until the fish flakes.
- Take it off the heat and let it sit 10 minutes. Goan curry is better warm than hot, and better still the next day.
- Serve with red rice and lime.
More like this
https://www.lxvwine.com/recipes/sabor-vivo-goan-coconut-tamarind-fish-curry/ · LXV Wine, Paso Robles