Fish Jeerem-Meerem | Cumin-Spiced Fish Curry

October 02, 2020

Fish Jeerem-Meerem | Cumin-Spiced Fish Curry

Jeerem-Meerem (Konkani; translated Cumin-Spiced Paste) is a lightly spiced, tangy, red curry and it is best when prepared with fresh fish!

For this recipe, I've prepared the curry with Black Pomfret. The fish must be cleaned, cut and rinsed well. Rub sufficient salt over the cut pieces and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. After that, rinse the fish once more and fry till partially cooked. Frying the fish before adding it to the curry leads to a slightly altered taste and maintains the integrity of the fish better. The fish can also be added to the curry without prior cooking, i.e., raw, but that would need to be boiled for longer in the curry.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the Curry Paste (grind together):

4 dried Kashmiri red chilies
1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
10-12 Peppercorns
3 Cloves
1 inch stick of Cinnamon
3 large Garlic cloves
1 inch piece of Ginger
A small lemon-sized amount of Tamarind, soaked in water

For the Curry:

1 Onion, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
4 teaspoons white vinegar
Sugar, as needed
Coriander, chopped
Green Chili, slit
Oil
The curry paste
The prepared fish
Salt, as required

Method:

Clean, cut and rinse the fish. Rub salt over the pieces and set aside for about half an hour. Rinse once more in plain water, and then fry till partially cooked.

Prepare the curry paste by grinding together the mentioned ingredients. It must result in a thick and fine paste.

Heat up 2-3 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onions till golden brown; add some salt to hasten the process. Add the tomatoes and cook till softened. Cover and cook on a medium-low flame for a couple of minutes.

When the tomatoes are pulpy, pour in the curry paste and cook for a few minutes.

Pour in about 2 cups of water (adjust as needed) to attain desired consistency. It shouldn't be too runny.

Add about a teaspoon of sugar and 4-5 teaspoons of vinegar, stir well and then cover and cook for a few minutes on a low flame.

Uncover, increase the heat, and then add the prepared pieces of fish to the curry; submerge the pieces in the gravy, cover the vessel again and cook for 2-3 minutes.