You’ll love my slow cooker fish curry recipe, it is easy to make and doesn’t take long (in slow cooking terms), and you’ll end up with a tasty dish full of fresh flavours, a creamy coconut milk sauce and tender flakes of fish.
Look at these vibrant colours, you’d probably not imagine you could make this in a slow cooker!
Indian fish curry is typical of the areas of Goa and Kerala. This fish curry takes Indian and Thai flavours and pairs them with simple cod loin for a curry that is full of flavour.
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Cooking fish in the slow cooker
Before I created this recipe, my own spin on a fish curry with coconut milk, I’d never cooked fish in my slow cooker before.
Visions of a house reeking all day and fish disintegrated into tiny pieces really did put me off.
But I realised that even though it is a slow cooker it doesn’t need to be on ALL day for fish.
A few hours on low would be sufficient to ensure the fish is cooked through (look for it flaking easily and turning from translucent to opaque) and the vegetables are gently cooked without losing their colour and nutrients.
I was quite surprised to find that the slow cooker could produce a dish full of colour and flavour without the delicate fish falling to pieces.
As it doesn’t take long to cook, this is the kind of slow cooked dish I could put in the pot when I get home from work, and once the kids are bathed and in bed it would be ready for me to serve.
So no need to get prepared first thing in the morning for this one.
In summer I like a big bowl of my slow cooker coconut fish curry with plenty of vegetables and no other accompaniment, whereas in winter it will be served with steamed rice, using a spoon to finish every last bit of the coconut milk sauce.
Ingredients needed
Here is what you will need. For the exact recipe quantities see the full details in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- garlic – feel free to use garlic puree in a tube for an easy replacement for fresh garlic.
- fresh ginger – again, you can use ginger puree in a tube in place of fresh ginger – much easier!
- lemongrass – lemongrass puree is available in a tube or jar too, and makes a great swap for fresh lemongrass which can be tricky to get hold of.
- fresh coriander
- red chilli
- turmeric – this spice gives the fish that delicate yellow colour and adds flavour too of course.
- cod loin – I prefer cod loin as it is thicker and more succulent, but you can use cod fillets too.
- broccoli, mange tout – you can swap the vegetables out to suit your preferences or what you have in the fridge. Peas, baby corn, aubergine, cauliflower also work well.
- coconut milk – this creates the sauce of the curry, with the spices.
Step by step instructions
For the full details see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Prepare the ingredients, then place the garlic, ginger, red chilli, turmeric, lemongrass and coconut milk in the slow cooker.
- Add the cubes of cod, mange tout and broccoli.
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until the cod is cooked through (check that it flakes easily and has turned from translucent to opaque).
- Top with chopped fresh coriander and slices of red chilli.
- Serve with rice.
Variations
Try a different kind of fish such as pollock, haddock, trout, according to your taste.
Add a few defrosted raw king or normal prawns in the last hour of cooking.
Add more chilli to add more fire to your curry!
Storage
I find that coconut milk curries don’t freeze that well as the sauce can split after you defrost it. Also the texture of the fish may change after freezing. For that reason I recommend against freezing this recipe.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days after cooking.
More healthy slow cooker recipes
For more healthy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker recipes for the whole family, make sure you check out my slow cooker archives.
You might also like to check out all my Curries.
More fish recipes to try
For more fish stews or fish curry recipes, check these out:
- Brazilian fish stew from Recipes from a Pantry
- Feel-good fish curry from Family Friends Food
- Hot prawn madras curry from The Hedge Combers
- Prawn, mushroom and spinach curry from Fab Food 4 All
- Thai yellow curry with fish from Nicky’s Kitchen Sanctuary
On Pinterest, pin my slow cooker coconut fish curry recipe for later!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Coconut Fish Curry
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 cm (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 stick lemongrass bashed with a wooden spoon to release the flavour
- 400 ml (14 oz) coconut milk
- 300 g (10 oz) skinless and boneless cod loin cut into 2 cm cubes
- 100 g (1 cups) mange tout (snow peas) sliced
- 150 g (2 cups) broccoli florets
- To serve: fresh coriander and red chilli sliced
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the garlic, ginger, red chilli, turmeric, lemongrass and coconut milk in the slow cooker.2 cloves garlic, 3 cm piece of fresh ginger, 1 red chilli, 1½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 stick lemongrass, 400 ml coconut milk
- Add the cubes of cod, mange tout and broccoli.300 g skinless and boneless cod loin, 100 g mange tout, 150 g broccoli florets
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until the cod is cooked through (check that it flakes easily and has turned from translucent to opaque).
- Top with chopped fresh coriander and slices of red chilli.To serve: fresh coriander and red chilli
Lynn O’Gorman says
Hi will it freeze? (N.B. The fish I’ve used is ok to freeze).
bakingqueen74 says
In theory you can freeze the cooked fish curry but I’v always found the texture of the fish isn’t as good and sometimes the fish can go a bit hard when defrosted and reheated.
Heidi says
Could you do this with chicken rather than fish? If so how long would you cook it for? Thanks x
bakingqueen74 says
Yes that would work well! For chicken the cooking time would be 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 on low – based on cubed chicken breast.
Madeleine says
This sound so delicious, I better double it or my husband will eat it all. I also have a 5.7 L instant pot with slow cooker function. I’m ok with it taking longer to cook. Any advice?
bakingqueen74 says
Sorry I have not used an instant pot for slow cooking but I have heard they take quite a long time to cook. In a standard slow cooker I would cook this for the same time even with doubled ingredients, since fish has a short cooking time. I would suggest doing that and checking if it needs further time by checking if the fish flakes easily.
Michael Messer says
I use not one, but TWO instapots when I cook. I used to cook on high heat trying to get things to cook faster and stopped when I realized that was what made a lot of meats tougher. I slow cook only now. But yes, instapots take forever to heat up. To speed up cooking a bit I DO, however, use the Saute setting to heat things up to close to cooking temperatures (maybe 100-120 F?) stirring as it heats up. Then I put it on Slow Cook, continuing to stir every so often to prevent burning on the bottom until things cool down at the bottom of the pot. If you have patience, just use the slow cook setting and avoid problems.
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Michael for your input on instant pots!
Vatsal says
Hi there – I’m hosting and want to know how many servings you could get out of this for a buffet?
I have a 5L slow cooker so can these ingredients be scaled up to create more servings? Would the cod still take the same amount of time to cook if there is more of it?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi there. The dish serves 3 for a main meal as it stands. You would need to work out how much you want to give each person and cook accordingly. I would recommend doing a trial run to check if you just add more fish or also make more sauce, depending on how you are serving it as part of a buffet. I would say the cod might take slightly longer to cook if you increase the quantities, but note that I have not tested it as I make the recipe to the given quantities only.
Mark Arnold says
Hi,
As my wife is pescatarian and we love Thai food was very excited finding this recipe. I decided to add prawns as well and another half tin of cocunut milk but it ended up too watery but tasted great..!! Will try again and follow the recipe thanks.
bakingqueen74 says
Brilliant, I bet the prawns were good!
Mr D N Watkins says
Recently purchased a Slow Cooker and this was my first attempt! Both the wife and I loved it…and I usually struggle to boil an egg! Giving it another go as I type this – a little heavier on the ginger & red pepper with less cooking time on this occasion. Thank You.
bakingqueen74 says
Brilliant so glad to hear this went down well!
Claire says
One of the tastiest things I’ve made in slow cooker so far 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
So glad to hear that Claire! I need to make this again now the weather is warmer
Carole says
Going to try this tomorrow but not sure how long to cook for?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Carole the instructions I’ve given say to cook for 2-3 hours on low or until the cod is cooked through and flakes easily.
hijackedbytwins says
Oh yes please! I love coconut in curries and yours looks and sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Kirsty!
familyfriendsfoodblog says
Looks fabulous, but then, I do love a fish curry! Yum 🙂
jennypaulin says
wow! what a gorgeous array of colours in one dish! i bet it smelt amazing too x (and tasted great x)
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Jenny! It did taste great, I loved it
Emerald Green says
I have 1 pack of normal cod fillet and 1 pack of smoked cod fillet. Can i use them both? Im vegetarian so never sure if flavours work but recently got a slow cooker to cook for himself
bakingqueen74 says
I would stick to the unsmoked personally, or check if your partner likes both mixed.
Eb Gargano says
This sounds so, so good, Lucy. Pinned on my must make board! So my kind of food. I know my hubby would like this too! Eb x
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Eb, definitely my kind of food and not my husbands here (chicken and meat for him!) but that means more for me!
Corina says
This looks gorgeous and still so fresh looking which I wouldn’t have expected in the slow cooker but of course it’s the shorter cooking time. I’ve also avoided cooking fish in my slow cooker because I thought it might get overcooked but now I know it turns out really well and can be cooked much more quickly than most slow cooker curries I will feel more confident about having a go! I feel I should thank you for testing it out for me!
bakingqueen74 says
Thank you Corina! I am glad to be of help 🙂 sometimes a cooking experiment just has to be done!
paulh121 says
Looking forward to cooking this tomorrow . . . 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
great, Paul! Let me know how it goes
paulh121 says
I don’t actually have a slow cooker so just did it very slowly on the hob. As a fully trained chef I made a few adjustments to make it even better . . . in my opinion lol . . . 😉
Nicky Corbishley says
Ooh yeah, that’s my kind of meal Lucy. Thanks for including my curry 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
Glad you like it Nicky!
Katherine Hackworthy says
Wowzer – this is so vibrant and sounds so fragrant.
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Katherine, it was really fragrant!
fabfood4all says
This looks so delicious and reminds me that I’ve never cooked fish in my slow cooker! Thanks for linking to my prawn curry:-)
bakingqueen74 says
It doesn’t immediately spring to mind does it, but works will with a shorter slow cooking than usual 🙂
HedgeComber says
All my favourite flavours in one little bowl #heaven 🙂
Janie x
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Janey, it was so colourful!
Emerald Green says
Also! I have a pack of small prawns in freezer so maybe i cd use the normal cod and the prawns? When wd i add
bakingqueen74 says
If using cod and prawns I would add the raw prawns at the same time as the cod. Please note I have not tried this though so am not sure how long prawns would need in the slow cooker, they could potentially go a bit chewy if left in too long.