The Hirshon Seychelles Fish Curry

Sharing is caring!

Seychelles Fish Curry Image Used Under Creative Commons License From notonthehighstreet.com

Citizens, the Seychelles is a small island nation located in the Indian Ocean northeast of Madagascar and east of Kenya. Other nearby island countries and territories include Comoros, Mayotte, Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius to the south.

Seychelles, with a population of 90,024, has the smallest population of any independent African state. An island nation made up of an archipelago consisting of more than 116 islands, the granitic islands are considered to be the oldest and hardest granite in the world. The majority of the islands are uninhabited, with many dedicated as nature reserves.

Pirates used to use the islands of Seychelles as a hideout. It is believed that Olivier Le Vasseur, an infamous pirate, had a treasure worth 100,000 euros that remains undiscovered to this day.

Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles, is the smallest capital in the world.

Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, named his character Milton Krest after a tonic and ginger beer that he tried while vacationing in the Seychelles.

This country was uninhabited until the latter part of the 18th century, when its first settlers arrived.

Almost half of the country is occupied by national parks and reserves, supporting the government’s various environment and ecosystems protection and conservation policies.

Seychelles is home to the female Coco de Mer, which is the world’s heaviest nut.

The country, specifically Bird Island, is also home to the heaviest land tortoise living in the wild. Named Esmeralda, the animal weighs 670 pounds.

Round Island used to be a leper colony – a prison still remains up to this day.

Seychellois Cuisine

Seychellois cuisine is an alluring fusion of flavors from Africa, France, China, India, and England. Most Seychellois cooking is based on seafood and chiles. Since there is very little local transport of goods, ingredients are super fresh and often directly from a garden or fishing boat.

Staple foods of the Seychelles include fish, seafood and shellfish dishes, often accompanied with rice. Fish dishes are cooked in several ways, such as steamed, grilled, wrapped in banana leaves, baked, salted and smoked. Curry dishes with rice are also a significant aspect of the country’s cuisine.

Additional food staples include coconut, breadfruit, mangoes and kordonnyen fish. Dishes are often garnished with fresh flowers.

Chicken dishes, such as chicken curry and coconut milk
Coconut curry
Dhal (lentils)
Fish curry
Saffron rice
Fresh tropical fruit

Citizens, this fish curry recipe is totally authentic and includes the usual sprinkling of TFD magic – I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

—

For the massalé

1 t black cumin seeds
½ t cumin seeds
1 t cardamom seeds
1 t brown mustard seeds
1 t minced mace
½ t cloves
1 T coriander seeds
1 t black peppercorns
½ t ground cinnamon
1 t ground paprika
1 t ground turmeric

For the curry

2 lb fresh fish, cubed – TFD prefers Snapper
Sea salt
freshly ground pepper
splash of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 zucchini, cubed
1 sweet potato, cubed
3 carrots, chopped into coins
2 T massalé
small piece ginger, chopped
1 sprig fresh curry leaves – available in every Indian grocery store or via Amazon here
1 sprig fresh thyme
½ t anise seeds
2 C fish stock

—

Grind finely the massalé spices together in a mortar and pestle or a coffee/spice grinder. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan and fry the onion until it begins to caramelize. Stir in the massalé and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add in the vegetables, ginger, and anise seeds and cook until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Pour in the fish stock and bring to a boil. Add in the pieces of fish and reduce to a simmer.

Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Stir in the thyme and curry leaves in the last minute of cooking and serve with cooked creole rice.