A salmon canned fish curry full of curry flavors yet easy to make in a hurry.

With step-by-step photos and a video to show you how this tin fish recipe is a great budget-friendly dish to make any day.

With a thick gravy made up of onions, tomatoes, spices, and coconut milk this Sri Lankan salmon curry might breathe new life to those canned mackerels on your shelf.

A canned fish recipe you can actually enjoy

I’ve had a lot of readers try out this Sri Lankan canned fish curry and really enjoyed it.

I know for a fact, this mackerel curry delivers a tasty and spicy dish every single time.

If you have a few canned jack mackerel or salmon in your pantry and you are just about tired of making them into salads, well then, it’s time for you to try the Sri Lankan version of a hot and spicy salmon curry.

The recipe takes your basic staples and cooks into a rich and tasty salmon curry in which you can dip into with your favorite type of bread or flatbreads.

Like our favorite Dhal dish, tin fish curry is suited for anyone wanting to cook a paleo, keto or low carb fish curry that takes only 30-40 minutes of your time to make.

All the ingredients that make the curry comes together in a pan, making it a one-pot fish curry with minimum prep.

what to serve with Sri Lankan canned fish curry recipe

If you are looking for an effortless meal, any Sri Lankan will tell you the best way to enjoy is to have the fish curry with roast Paan or a type of crusty, rustic bread.

Breakfast- serve with bread, Dhal curry, and salmon fish curry. if you are serving with Kiribath, make a good Lunumiris.

Lunch- the curry coconut fish curry is so good with a bowl of rice, one or two vegetable dishes you’ll find in the blog, and you are set.

Dinner– Roti accompanied by a creamy Dhal or Sri Lankan potato curry with the fish.

side dishes to try with Sri Lankan salmon curry

Butternut squash curry
Spicy dry potato curry
Gotu kola mallum
Bittergourd salad
Parsley mallum(salad)
creamy carrot curry

Reviews from readers who made the Canned fish recipe

“I remember when I was still in the Middle East one of the food choices has a lot of curry cuisines. So, I definitely LOVE this food! It maybe is quite spicy but definitely worth it. Thank you for sharing this. Cheers!”.

“Just made this today and skipped coconut milk (yeah needed to be a bit conscious of how much fat I ate tonight, plus I was hungry, and scraping coconut was going to make me hungry-er.) Added banana peppers to the onions too. This was SO GOOD.”

“Just tried this recipe! It’s very yummy and flavorful!”

“Tried this today… This is one awesome recipe, loved it to the core”.

The original comments can be found in the comment section

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Beginner’s tips on making the canned fish curry

• As mentioned earlier, you can use tinned Tuna but they need to be in chunks to avoid melting into pieces once they begin cooking.
• If you want the curry to be less spicy, then reduce the chilli powder considerably, 1/8th teaspoon of chilli and Pepper powder.
• Since the fish bones of a canned fish are usually soft, I don’t remove any bones as it helps to keep the fish firm.
• The fish odor is always a problem, I open the can placing it in the sink, if there is a spill, all I need to do is turn on the tap.
• Draining the fish brine directly into the drain also helps to avoid the sink smelling of fish.

FAQ:tin fish recipe

• Can I make tinned fish curry with Tuna cans?Y
  • Yes, The Tuna especially needs to be the chunky variety that won’t melt while it simmers.

• Can I make a less spicy canned fish curry for the kids or for myself?
  • You definitely can, instead of adding the amount of Pepper and Chilli mentioned here, add 1/8th of a teaspoon(a pinch)of the same.

• Can I use tinned sardines?
  • I believe sardines are quite small and delicate.
  • You can cook them using this same recipe just avoid using the spoon to stir the fish around once you add it to the gravy, instead tilt the pan to move the sardine gently around.

More canned fish recipes

Canned mackerel pepper curry.

Canned tuna devilled fish stir-fry.

Spicy Sri Lankan tin fish stir-fry.

Thai-inspired tuna fish curry cooked in coconut milk.

Sri Lankan fish cutlets.

Storing

Once cooled store in a covered pyrex dish or glass bowl and cover with cling film.

I wouldn’t recommend using a plastic box as the spices can stain the box and would be hard to get rid of.

Since it’s a curry coconut fish use it within 2 days.

Heating

remove from refrigerator and let it stand for 10 minutes and reheat over stovetop or microwave for 3-5 minutes.

Freezing

I would not recommend freezing the fish curry.

Let’s Stop food waste

if you have any leftovers and no one wants to eat any more of the fish curry, pick out the onion, spices, pandan leaves, mix it with a little red rice and feed your pet cat or any strays.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

3-4 tablespoons of oil

1 large onion sliced

3-4 cloves of garlic sliced

A handful of curry leaves

1-inch cinnamon stick

A piece of pandan leaf

1 large tomato sliced

2 green chillies sliced

1/2-1 teaspoon of chilli powder(depending on your preference)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper powder

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 coconut milk(should you need more gravy then add 1 cup of coconut milk)

1 large can of Jack mackerel/ Salmon or Tuna fish

Salt to taste

How to cook tin fish curry

Open the can, drain the fish brine and set it aside.

Place a pan over medium heat and pour in the oil(4 tbs), leave it to heat for a minute.

Add the curry leaves, cinnamon(1 inch), pandan leaf, stir and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Include the onions, Garlic(4 cloves sliced) and tomatoes(1 large), green chilies (2)cook the ingredients for a further 2-3 minutes.

Add the turmeric(1/2 tsp), red chili powder(1/2 to 1 tsp), pepper(1/4 tsp), curry powder(1 tsp)and sauté.

let the ingredients turn slightly brown and the tomatoes soften while all of the ingredients turn to a semi-liquid paste.

This will take less than 10 minutes, increase heat if necessary but avoid burning the paste.

Reduce heat to low-medium and pour in the coconut milk(1/2 cup, add 1 cup if you need gravy).

Leave it to slow simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Season with salt.

Once the coconut milk is thick and slightly changes color, gently add the canned fish chunks into the gravy.

Avoid stirring unless it is to place the fish so they cook evenly.

Cover with a lid, set to slow simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the gravy is thick.

Season with salt and serve warm.

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