Indian Style Canned Sardine Curry is one of the quick and tasty curries that can be made in a jiffy using canned sardine, onion, ginger garlic paste, tomato and Indian spices.
About Sardine Curry
Every Sunday completes only when there is a chicken or seafood for lunch in most of the South Indian households. Getting a fresh fish back in Chennai, Tamil Nadu is very easy and cheap because of the coast nearby. Among all fish varieties, sardines are most affordable and super nutritious fish to eat.
Fast forward today, I live in a place where I don’t have access to fresh fish and I started using the canned sardines. To add it, Canned Sardines comes as handy when you do not have any fresh vegetables to cook other than the essentials. It is one of our must to have pantry essentials during winter days.
This simple curry uses the basic spices from an Indian kitchen. I used ripe tomato for this curry which gives a perfect consistency and sour taste. Though it is a boneless sardine fish, you may find few very small bones which is perfectly fine consume along with the curry and it is rich in calcium.
Sardines are good source of omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin D and low in calorie. We call this curry as mathi meen kulambu in tamil.
Ingredients & Variations
Ingredients
Sardines: I used Seasons brand skinless boneless sardines in olive oil for making this curry.
I used 2 tins of 125 grams of canned sardines and used oil from one tin to make this curry. I discarded the oil from the other tin. If you do not want to use the canned oil, you can use the oil of your choice for making this curry.
Vegetables: I used onion, freshly ground ginger garlic paste, tomato and fresh curry leaves for making this curry.
Spices: The basic spices that are easily available in any Indian kitchen are the main masala ingredients in this recipe. I used Red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder.
Variations
The other variation uses a tamarind water for tanginess which is similar to the making of traditional tamil style fish gravies or Meen Kulambu as we call in tamil.
Recipe Card
Indian Style Canned Sardine Curry
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil or use oil from canned sardine
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 3/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 cup tomato ripe and chopped
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water adjust as needed
- 250 grams canned sardine 2 counts of 125grams can
- 1 sprig curry leaves fresh
Instructions
- Open 2 cans of 125 grams of canned sardines and keep it aside. I used canned sardine in olive oil. Finely chop the onion and roughly chop the ripe tomato. Choose ripe tomato for best results.
- Heat a pan. Add the oil from the sardine can. If you do not want to use the oil from the can, then add 3 tbsp of any oil. Crackle mustard seeds once it is hot.
- Add onion and saute till it becomes soft and translucent. After that add ginger garlic paste. Give a nice stir for few minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and stir till it becomes mushy and then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and salt one by one. If you use sardine in salt water or uses a sea salt, make sure to add less salt. Always read the pack before adding salt.
- Mix well and cook the masala till the raw smell goes off. Once the masala starts forming a thick consistency, add water (adjust the water consistency according to the need but start with very little quantity). Mix well and allow it to boil nicely.
- Once the curry reaches its desired consistency and the oil started to separate from the curry, add the sardines pieces one by one.
- Stir gently so that the sardines get immersed in curry. Cover and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until the sardines are well cooked. Stir gently in between for uniform cooking.
- After 7 minutes, the curry becomes thick and the oil started floating on top of the curry. Sprinkle a sprig of curry leaves.
- Serve hot with rice or roti.
Video
Notes
- Canned sardines have very small bones which can be eaten along with the curry.
- Add the sardines only after the desired curry consistency is reached. Generally Canned sardines don’t need more time to cook but in order to incorporate the masalas in it, I cooked for 6-7 minutes covered. Do not cook more than the mentioned time.
- I haven’t mentioned the salt quantity as it varies based on the brand of canned fish you use. If the pack says it has sea salt in it or the sardines are packed in salt water/brine, then reduce the salt quantity. Always read the pack instructions before adding salt.
Step by Step Instructions
Let’s see the step by step instructions of making Indian Style Canned Sardine Curry.
- Open 2 cans of 125 grams of canned sardines and keep it aside. I used canned sardine in olive oil. Finely chop the onion and roughly chop the ripe tomato. Choose ripe tomato for best results. Heat a pan. Add the oil from the sardine can. If you do not want to use the oil from the can, then add 3 tbsp of any oil. Crackle mustard seeds once it is hot.
2. Add onion and saute till it becomes soft and translucent. After that add the ginger garlic paste. Give a nice stir for few minutes.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and stir till it becomes mushy and then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and salt one by one. If you use sardine in salt water or the pack uses a sea salt, make sure to add less salt. Always read the pack before adding salt.
4. Mix well and cook the masala till the raw smell goes off. Once the masala starts forming a thick consistency, add water (adjust the water consistency according to the need but start with very little quantity). Mix well and allow it to boil nicely.
5. Once the curry reaches its desired consistency and the oil started to separate from the curry, add the sardines pieces one by one.
6. Gently immerse the sardines in the curry. Cover and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until the sardines absorbs the masala. Stir/flip the sardines gently in between for uniform cooking. After 7 minutes, the curry becomes thick and the oil started floating on top of the curry. Sprinkle a sprig of curry leaves.
7. Delicious Indian Style Canned Sardines are ready. Serve it hot with rice or roti.
Storage & Serving Suggestions
Storage
The curry stays well for 2 days in the refrigerator. Store it in a glass container. Take the needed portion in a small microwave safe bowl, reheat for 30 seconds to 1 minutes depends on the quantity.
Serving Suggestions
Indian Style Canned Sardine goes well with hot steamed rice. The thicker version of this gravy is a best pair with roti or chapathi.
Tips & Notes
- Canned sardines sometimes have very small bones which becomes soft while cooking. It is perfectly to eat it with curry. Make sure to chew it properly.
- Add the sardines only after the curry reaches the desired consistency. Generally Canned sardines don’t need more time to cook but in order to incorporate the masala in it, I cooked for 6-7 minutes covered. Do not cook more than the mentioned time.
- I haven’t mentioned the exact salt quantity for the curry as it varies based on the brand of canned fish you use. If the pack says it has sea salt in it or if the sardines is in salt water/brine, then reduce the salt quantity. Always read the pack instructions before adding salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is “Canned Sardine”?
Sardine or pilchards are small size fish that belongs to the same family of anchovies. Canning is one of the methods to preserve sardine fish to increase the shelf life for 1 to 3 years. Canned Sardine fish generally processed at high temperature and sealed in an air tight container with some liquid (it can be oil, water, brine or tomato sauce). As a last step, the cans are sterilized with certain temperature.
Is it safe to use canned Sardine?
Canned sardines are safe and healthy to eat. It has a good source of omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin D and low in calorie.
Can I use fresh Sardine Fish in this recipe?
yes. you can use fresh sardine fish in this recipe. If you use fresh sardine, it dilutes the curry a bit. So, It is better to add the sardines when the gravy becomes thick or needed consistency.
If you have tried this recipe or have any questions, don’t forget to comment below. I would love to hear your feedback and glad to answer your queries. You can also Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Youtube for other updates from my kitchen about Office Lunchbox, Kid’s Lunchbox and simple meal plate ideas.
Curry looks yummy