Moryechi Xacuti / Shark Curry is a popular dish in Coastal regions of India. Specially in Goa , it is a famous fish curry.

Shark, also called as Mori in India, is one of the popular seafood among Goans. I am a hardcore fish eater and enjoy any kind of seafood , but when it comes to typical Goan preparation of fish, I miss my hometown, where we get lot of fresh fish. Moryechi Xacuti(Shagoti), also called as Mori Mutton is a recipe which is cooked in almost every Goan families. In this recipe, we use baby shark , skin totally removed and cut into small pieces. 

It’s been ages since I ate authentic Goan shark gravy after coming to USA. All these years I was looking for this fish in Asian markets and couldn’t find it and yesterday I danced with joy when I saw Baby shark in our Asian market. It was exactly how I wanted. Nicely skinned and cut into small pieces . So, decided my dinner. All I had to do, was to get this guy home and feast on it. The recipe for shark gravy is almost the same as chicken xacuti, only that you have to use less quantity of spices in order to get all the flavors of shark get mixed up into the gravy. Only make sure that the shark is fresh and not frozen and try to use freshly grated coconut instead of dry one.

Preparation time: 20 Minutes

Cooking Time: 40 Minutes

Serves : 5

Ingredients :

• 800 grams Baby shark(Skin removed and cut into small pieces)
• 1 Cup Freshly grated coconut
• 1 Medium size onion , thinly sliced
• 7-8 Cloves of garlic
• 1 Small ball of Tamarind(about an inch in diameter)
• 1 Teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder(Optional for extra color)
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• Small bunch of Fresh coriander leaves(Cilantro), chopped
• 2 Tablespoons of Oil for sauting
• Salt to taste

Ingredients for marination:

• 1 Tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 Tablespoon Salt

Whole spices :

• 4-5 Black Pepper Corns
• 4-5 Cloves
• 1 Inch stick of Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Fennel seeds
• 1/2 Tablespoon Coriander seeds
• 6-7 Dry red chilies

Method:

Wash shark pieces well with water, drain and marinate with the ingredients mentioned for marination. Keep aside for about 20 minutes.

Heat a skillet , add oil and fry all the  spices mentioned under whole spices on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes and remove out on a plate.

On the same skillet, fry  sliced onions and garlic on medium high until onions turn translucent. This will take about 5 minutes.

Now , add grated coconut and saute till coconut changes color to light brown. That is about 6-7 minutes. Switch off the heat.

Add a teaspoon turmeric powder ,mix well and remove from heat.

Allow the mixture to cool down for some time .

Grind the roasted spices along with fried coconut onions and tamarind using a  cup of water to smooth paste.

Pour  the paste in a saucepan kept on medium high heat and allow it to boil.

Add salt and red chili powder.

Mix well and add marinated fish.

Mix , cover and let the fish cook on medium high heat until done.

Check in between if the fish is cooked . Use toothpick to check. The toothpick should be able to poke easily in the fish , once it is ready. 

Sometimes shark gets cooked very quickly, but for me it took 25 minutes total to cook the fish.

Once the gravy is all ready, add chopped coriander leaves, mix well and simmer on low heat for 5 more minutes and remove from heat. 

Enjoy shark curry with   hot steamy rice . My son loves it with roti, but I personally prefer rice with shark masala. This gravy tastes even more  better the next day .

This recipe has also been published on Archana’s Kitchen.

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