Karimeen Molly-Pearl Spot Fish Coconut Milk Stew

Karimeen Molly

Karimeen molly/ fish molee is a very popular dish in Kerala. If you are a fan of mild creamy fish curry cooked with coconut milk, you have come to the right place. Kerala is a paradise for seafood lovers. Now you may ask what is fish molee/molly? It is a mildly spiced fish stew made with coconut milk and served with appam or fresh bread. It is a soothing dish that complements any spicy meal. Molee is best relished with appam and the combo is divine.Appam is laced pancake made with fermented rice and coconut batter. Perfectly made soft appam and delicious fish molly is a personal pride that every malayalee share in common.

What amazes me about Kerala fish curries is that you have a wide range of curries- from spicy hot red fish curry, pungent and bold with earthy spices and tamarind and at the opposite spectrum is this mild fish molee cooked in coconut sauce. Now, this doesn't mean that Fish molly is bland. Coconut gives it a creamy richness, tangy acidity from vinegar and tomatoes, the peppery undertone and of course good coconut oil makes all the difference to this simple curry.

Fish molee is said to have originated from colonial influence. It was an adaptation of Kerala fish curry to suit the palate of European colonists. Pearl spot fish or Karimeen is a popular fish found in rivers and backwaters of Kerala. For this recipe, I have used Karimeen, but you can also use kingfish or pomfret to make fish molee. Earlier I posted a version of fish molly with fried kingfish. This recipe has less oil and is quick and easy to make. My family loved this curry. Indulge yourself in this delicious curry and let me know how it turned out :)

Ingredients
Karimeen/Pearl spot fish- 4 medium
Sliced onion- 1 medium
Ginger- 1 inch thick piece thinly sliced
Garlic- 3 cloves
Green chilly- 3 slit lengthwise
Curry leaves- a few
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Vinegar- 1 tsp
Tomato-1
Cloves- 3-4

Thin coconut milk- 1 cup
Thick coconut milk- 1 cup
Coconut oil and salt to taste

Tips for perfect fish molee

Use freshly grated coconut milk for this recipe. It adds lots of flavor to the dish. Set aside some thick coconut milk to add towards the end and cook the curry in thin coconut milk. If you do not have fresh coconut in hand use frozen coconut or canned coconut milk.

For the fish, you can use pearl spot, kingfish, pomfret or fish fillets. Any mild-flavored fish fillet like tilapia can be used to make fish molee. You do not want strong fishy flavor for this stew/curry.

This recipe is low calorie and uses less oil. To make this curry you can first fry the fish and add into the gravy. For fried fish molly recipe check here.

To bring out the best flavor use coconut oil. Coconut oil and curry leaves bring in the essence of homey Kerala food.

How to make fish Molly
Cut and clean your fish. Rub and rinse with salt and lemon juice. Wash and set aside. If you want to fry the fish add turmeric and salt. Shallow fry till both sides are golden brown and set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add cloves and fry for a minute. Add sliced onions, ginger,garlic, curry leaves and green chilly and saute till onions turn soft and slightly golden. Add salt, pepper powder and two cups of thin coconut milk. You can also add a cup of water at this stage.
When it comes to a boil, slide in the cleaned fish, cover and cook. At this stage turn the heat down to a bubbling simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes till the fish is almost done and the gravy reduces. Add sliced tomato cook till the tomatoes get soft. Pour the thick coconut milk and after a minute switch off the flame. Pour one tsp of vinegar on top. Serve with appam or bread.