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Guyana · Barracuda

Guyanese Barracuda Curry

Guyanese Fish Curry

Every Georgetown kitchen has its own fish curry. The trick is to “chunkay” the curry, frying the paste in hot oil until it darkens, before the fish ever goes in the pot.

  • Prep 25 min + 30 min marinating
  • Cook 30 min
  • Serves 4–6
  • Level Medium
Photo: rovingI · CC BY 2.0
Served with: Guyanese Yellow Split Pea Dhal ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the curry

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Season the fish. Wash the fish with lime juice, then rub with the green seasoning and salt. Marinate 30 minutes.
  2. Make the curry paste. Blend the curry powder, geera, garam masala, onion, garlic, peppers and ½ cup water into a thick paste.
  3. Chunkay the curry. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the paste and fry, stirring, 5–7 minutes until it darkens, thickens and the oil separates.
  4. Build the sauce. Add the tomatoes and cook 3 minutes, then stir in the hot water, salt and thyme. Simmer 5 minutes.
  5. Cook the fish. Lay the fish in the curry, shake the pot to cover it and simmer uncovered 12–15 minutes, without stirring, until the fish is cooked and the sauce is thick. Finish with cilantro.
  6. Serve. Serve with white rice and dhal, or roti to scoop it up.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Guyana

Guyanese Yellow Split Pea Dhal

Dhal

Yellow split peas boiled smooth with turmeric and garlic, then finished with a sizzling chunkay of cumin and garlic. In Guyana it is poured over rice beside every fish curry.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 50 min
  • Serves 6
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 1 cup yellow split peas, rinsed
  • 5 cups water
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves (3 chopped, 3 sliced for the chunkay)
  • 1 wiri wiri or Scotch bonnet pepper, whole
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds (geera)

How to make it

  1. Boil the peas. Simmer the split peas in the water with the turmeric, onion, chopped garlic and the whole pepper for 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until very soft.
  2. Swizzle smooth. Remove the pepper. Beat the dhal with a whisk or swizzle stick until smooth, adding hot water until it pours like heavy cream. Add the salt.
  3. Chunkay. Heat the oil in a small pan, add the cumin seeds and sliced garlic and fry until the garlic turns dark golden, about 1 minute.
  4. Finish. Pour the sizzling oil straight into the dhal (stand back, it splutters), stir and serve over rice.

Photo: Vis M · CC BY-SA 4.0

More ways to cook Barracuda

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

San Juan del Sur, NicaraguaGrilled Barracuda Steaks with Chimichurri
Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, PortugalPortuguese Grilled Barracuda
Cádiz, Andalusia, SpainAndalusian Marinated Fried Fish Bites