Goan Jeerem Meerem Curry

How to make Jeerem Meerem Fish Curry

Let’s make Goan Jeerem Meerem, a tasty, traditional Goan curry without coconut. I’ll show you how to make jeerem meerem fish curry. For the benefit of non-Goans, let me explain that jeerem means cumin seeds or jeera in Konkani and meerem is the Konkani word for black pepper corns.

Goan Jeerem Meerem is a thin, mildly spiced curry whose characteristic taste comes from its defining ingredients cumin and peppercorns. This curry can also be made with meat or chicken. As Jeerem Meerem fish curry however, some of the main varieties of fish used traditionally include Surmai (Iswonn in Konkani), also called King Mackerel or King Fish in English, Bangda or mackerel, Shevto or mullet, Muddoshi or ladyfish, and Lepo or sole fish.

But no matter, which fish you use, this tangy, mildly spiced Goan fish curry will be very flavourful. So do check out how to make jeerem meerem fish curry, make it in your own kitchen, and taste it for yourself.

Another non-vegetarian tasty Goan curry is Chicken Xacuti made with roasted coconut and other fragrant spices. Why not check this out too?

Ingredients

500g Surmai Fish (King Mackerel)

1 tsp cumin

20 -25 peppercorns

1 ½” cinnamon stick

4 green cardamom pods

½ tsp turmeric powder

8 large cloves of garlic

3 long green chillies

½ tsp chilli powder (optional)

1 marble-size ball of tamarind

1 tbsp vinegar

¾ tsp sugar

1 medium-size onion, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

3 tbsp + 3 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander (for garnishing)

Procedure

1. Soak the tamarind in a little warm water.
2. Apply a little salt to the washed fish slices and set them aside for around 20 minutes.
3. In the meanwhile, start preparing the curry paste.
4. To a grinder jar, add the cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric powder, garlic (roughly chopped), two of the green chillies (roughly chopped), and vinegar. Add 2 tbsp of water and grind everything to a paste.
5. Next, fry the fish slices in around 3 tbsp of oil for around 1 minute on each side.
6. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan. Fry the chopped onion in it till they brown.
7. Then, throw in the chopped tomatoes and sauté these too till they turn mushy.
8. Add the jeerem meerem curry paste to the pan and sauté it for a minute. Rinse the grinder jar with ½ cup water and add the rinsing to the pan.
9. Extract the tamarind juice and add this to the curry along with around 1 cup of water, the sugar, and ½ tsp salt.
10. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and let the curry simmer for around 2 minutes.
11. Add in the chilli powder. Slit the third green chilli and add it to the curry. Let the curry boil for a minute. Then sample it and adjust its taste with some more salt if necessary.
12. Finally, add the fish slices to the curry, lower the heat, cover the pan, and let the fish cook in the curry for around 3-4 minutes.
13. Garnish the curry with chopped coriander and turn off the heat.

Enjoy!

PS: You could also add the raw, marinated fish slices directly to the curry. In that case, these will take a little longer to cook, that is, around 5 to 6 minutes.