Coconut curry fish with roasted green banana and green mango chow

 

Shivi Ramoutar’s coconut curry fish is a taste of the Caribbean in a bowl: firm white fish bathed in fragrant green seasoning, then gently poached in a creamy coconut curry with warming spices and a whole Scotch bonnet for perfume. Roasted green banana and a tangy green mango chow make this fish curry recipe a proper island feast.

Jump To Recipe Original recipe by Shivi Ramoutar
From Saturday Kitchen 14 November 2026
Updated and improved by our culinary team – now with 4 customisations and 5 timed preparation stages.

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How the timings work

• One hot oven (220C/200C fan) does all the oven work – roasting the green banana – while the curry, fish and chow all happen on the hob and the board.
• The first 15-20 minutes: blitz the green seasoning and marinate the fish (hands-off), then boil the bananas while you start building the curry base.
• While the curry simmers its 10-12 minutes: peel and halve the boiled bananas and roast them for 15-20 minutes, then toss the mango chow so it steeps on the side.
• The final 5-8 minutes: the fish poaches gently in the sauce, covered and completely hands-off – during which the bananas come out golden and the chow drains.
• Everything lands in four bowls together: curry, banana, chow, lime wedges and hot sauce on the table at once.

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Method

First, green-season the fish (15-20 minutes marinade, mostly hands-off)

1. Blitz the green seasoning: In a food processor, blitz 2 roughly chopped spring onions, 2 garlic cloves, the coriander leaves and stalks, flatleaf parsley, chives, leaves from 3 thyme sprigs, the juice of ½ lime, 1-2 tsp hot sauce (to taste), ½ tsp salt and some black pepper to a coarse green paste – Caribbean green seasoning, the heart of this dish.
2. Marinate the fish: Gently coat 650g firm white fish chunks (hake, cod or pollock) in the paste, cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes while you prepare everything else.

While the fish marinates: parboil the green bananas (about 15 minutes)

3. Boil: Trim the ends of 4 medium green cooking bananas and score the skins lengthways. Boil in lightly salted water in a large saucepan for 10-15 minutes until just tender but still holding their shape – a knife should meet slight resistance.
4. Cool and cut: Drain, leave until cool enough to handle, then peel and halve lengthways or cut into thick diagonal pieces. (Scoring the skins makes peeling far easier – green banana skins are stubborn.)

Build the curry and roast the bananas (about 30 minutes)

5. Soften the base: Heat 2 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil in a wide saucepan over a medium heat and fry 1 finely chopped onion for 5-6 minutes until softened. Stir in 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and 1 tbsp grated ginger and cook for 1 minute.
6. Bloom the spices: Add 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander, ⅛ tsp each ground fennel, mustard seeds and fenugreek, plus black pepper. Cook gently for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant – add a splash of water if the spices start to catch, because burnt spice turns the curry bitter.
7. Tomatoes in: Add 2 roughly chopped ripe tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened and slumping.
8. Simmer the sauce: Stir in 400ml coconut milk and 100ml water or light fish stock, then tuck in the whole, unpierced Scotch bonnet if using. Simmer gently for 10-12 minutes until slightly thickened, topping up with a little more water or stock as needed.
9. Roast the bananas: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Toss the banana pieces with 2 tbsp oil, 2 lightly crushed garlic cloves, 4 thyme sprigs, salt and pepper, spread on a baking tray in a single layer and roast for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until lightly golden at the edges. Add the knob of butter at the end, if using.

Poach the fish and make the chow (10-15 minutes)

10. Poach gently: Reduce the heat and nestle the marinated fish into the curry sauce in a single layer. Spoon a little sauce over, cover and gently simmer for 5-8 minutes (depending on chunk size) until the fish is opaque right through and flakes easily – for certainty, the thickest chunk should read 62°C on a probe thermometer. Avoid vigorous stirring so the fish stays intact.
11. Make the chow: While the fish poaches, toss 1 large peeled green mango, cut into thin strips, with 1 small grated garlic clove, 1-2 tsp hot sauce, the juice of 1 lime, a small handful of chopped coriander, salt and pepper. Leave for 10-15 minutes, then drain off any excess liquid before serving if needed.
12. Finish the curry: Remove and discard the whole Scotch bonnet, then finish with 2 tbsp chopped coriander or parsley and a squeeze of lime. Season with salt and pepper.

Plate up (5 minutes)

13. Serve: Spoon the coconut curry fish into four shallow bowls, add the roasted green banana and the green mango chow alongside, and garnish with micro coriander, red amaranth and edible flowers if using. Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce so everyone can turn the dial themselves.

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Techniques for Success

1. Leave the Scotch bonnet whole and unpierced

The Scotch bonnet is the difference between fragrant and fiery. Pierce, bruise or chop it and its fierce heat floods the curry; kept whole and intact, it releases perfume and gentle warmth instead – and some cooks fish it out entirely for a milder pot.

Do it right: add the chilli whole, skin unbroken; simmer it with the sauce; then remove it before serving and keep it away from eyes and cuts on your hands.

Success looks like a curry that smells fruity and aromatic with a warm glow, not one that sends anyone reaching for the milk.

2. Poach the fish gently, in a single layer, without stirring

Fish chunks are fragile, and a rolling boil or an eager spatula turns them into flakes in the sauce rather than pieces on the spoon. Gentle heat is what keeps them plump and intact.

Do it right: drop the heat before the fish goes in; arrange the chunks in one layer; spoon sauce over the top; cover; and simmer for 5-8 minutes, checking for opaque flesh that flakes at a nudge – the thickest chunk should read 62°C.

Success looks like intact, snow-white chunks coated in golden sauce, with a barely trembling interior that yields to a fork.

3. Bloom the spices low and slow, with water on standby

Ground spices need a gentle moment in oil to release their aroma, but they scorch fast – and scorched turmeric and fenugreek give a gritty bitterness no amount of coconut can rescue.

Do it right: cook the spices over a medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring; add a splash of water the moment the pan looks dry; and move on to the tomatoes as soon as the kitchen smells fragrant.

Success looks like a paste that glistens rather than sticks, and a sauce with rounded, earthy warmth – never acrid.

Technique	Failure if done wrong	Success looks like
Keep the Scotch bonnet whole and unpierced	Overpowering heat that masks every other flavour	Fruity aroma with a gentle, warming glow
Poach the fish gently in a single layer	Broken-up, dry flakes lost in the sauce	Intact, snow-white chunks that flake at a nudge
Bloom the spices gently with water if catching	Bitter, gritty, scorched spice notes	A glistening spice paste with rounded earthy warmth

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Tips and swaps

• Get ahead: The green seasoning blitzes a day early and the chow keeps for a day in the fridge; on the day you only boil, roast, simmer and poach – about 45 relaxed minutes.
• Heat control: The whole unpierced Scotch bonnet perfumes rather than burns; skip it entirely for children, and put hot sauce and lime wedges on the table for the chilliheads.
• Dairy-free: Simply leave out the optional butter on the roasted bananas – every other element is already dairy-free.
• Swaps: Monkfish or salmon replaces hake, cod or pollock (poach salmon a little more gently); plantains swap for green bananas; and green papaya or a tart apple stands in for the mango.
• Leftovers: The curry keeps for 2 days in the fridge; reheat gently in a pan until piping hot throughout, stirring as little as possible – the fish is delicate, so check it’s steaming rather than trusting the clock.
• Fish safety: Look for opaque, flaking flesh and 62°C in the thickest chunk; overcooking white fish dries it fast, so check early and trust your eyes.

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Wine Pairing

Recommended by Helen McGinn:

No.1 Margaret River Chardonnay, Australia, 2025 – Waitrose, £11

No.1 Margaret River Chardonnay 2025 comes from one of Australia’s most trusted chardonnay regions: ripe stone fruit and melon, bright citrus acidity and a subtle toasty oak – generous yet fresh, and a firm favourite at the table.

Creamy coconut curry meets its match in a wine with body: the chardonnay’s ripe fruit mirrors the sauce’s richness, while its citrus cut slices through the coconut, and a whisper of oak flatters the warming spices and gently poached white fish.

Here are equally good alternatives that pair beautifully with this dish:

Chilean Chardonnay – Asda, around £7
Ripe, fruity and easy-going, it hugs the coconut sauce without costing much.

Mâcon-Villages – Sainsbury’s, around £13
White Burgundy charm – fresh orchard fruit with a softly creamy edge that loves gentle spice.

Barrel-aged Margaret River Chardonnay – Majestic, around £19
Deeper, nuttier and more textural, for when the curry needs a wine with real presence.

* Prices checked November 2026 and may vary. The alternatives are our suggestions, not necessarily wines recommended by Helen McGinn.

 

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