“What makes cookbooks interesting is to find out about the people and the culture that invented the food.” – Vincent Schiavelli
My husband is allergic to fish and even just the smell of it makes his throat itch. It’s been a running joke in our household that whenever he has a night class or has to stay late at work it’s guaranteed I’ll make fish for myself and then light candles all over the house trying to get rid of the smell before he gets home…which hardly ever works but I still try.
So I don’t make fish too often, but when I do I love making this recipe. It’s a simple and easy fish curry but has a lot of flavor. This recipe tastes great when served with coconut rice or with chapati.
Samaki is the Swahili word for “fish” and a fish curry is a traditional dish from Zanzibar island. Zanzibar is known for having fresh seafood since it is an island in the Indian Ocean. I first sampled a coconut fish curry in Stone Town, Zanzibar. We ate outside with a view of the ocean right past our table and the fish I was eating was likely caught that same day. It was delicious and spicy and I knew I had to try and re-create the recipe at home.
One day when I was browsing in the library I was searching for any East African cookbooks and there weren’t too many available. Some of them did not look like the traditional foods we ate in Zanzibar and had more of a West African variety of dishes included. Luckily I did find one cookbook that I really enjoyed reading and have adapted some of my recipes from that book. It’s called Taste of Tanzania: Modern Swahili Recipes for the West by Miriam R. Kinunda and if you can get your hands on a copy it is definitely worth reading!
- Yield: 4 servings
Ramadan Recipe Series: Samaki Wa Nazi (Coconut Fish Curry)
Ingredients
- Canola Oil - 2 tablespoons, divided
- Yellow Onion - 1/2 cup, chopped
- Minced Garlic - 1 tablespoon
- Minced Ginger - 1 tablespoon
- Coriander - 1/2 teaspoon
- Curry Power - 1/2 teaspoon
- Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
- Tilapia - 1 lb.
- Chopped diced tomatoes - 1 (14 oz) can
- Coconut Milk - 1 cup
- Water - 1/4 cup
- Fresh Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan and saute the onions until golden brown. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, curry powder and turmeric, stirring to combine ingredients. Add the fish on top of the onion mixture and cook until done on both sides.
- In a small bowl mix together the canned diced tomatoes, coconut milk and water and pour the mixture over the fish. Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and lower the heat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and serve with fresh cilantro.
