Tag Archives: fish curry

Thai fish curry – fragrant and not too hot

5 Jul

DSCI0637I love the flavours of Thai food. The freshness of the limes and lemongrass and the warmth of the chillies. This curry is slightly different as it has added depth by the addition of curry powder. The end result is a fragrant curry that is not too hot. It is really easy to make and, as the sauce is made first, you can make this in advance and either finish it off when you are ready to eat or freeze for another day then thaw and continue by adding the fish when the sauce has heated up. This flexibility makes it a great dish to come home to after work or for a dinner party when you can use the free time to socialise with your guests.

Fish curry                  Serves 4

  • 1 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 heaped tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste
  • 1 red chilli, sliced (omit the seeds if you don’t like it hot)
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed and bruised
  • 1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • small bunch coriander, stems finely chopped
  • 400g can coconut milk
  • 4 fillets of firm white fish, skinless. I used cod but you could use hake. Cut into 3 inch pieces
  • 200g raw king prawns
  • Juice of a lime
  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet and fry the onion until softened, about 5 minutes, over a medium heat. Stir in the ginger, garlic and shrimp pastes and the chilli and lemongrass. Cook over a low heat for 1 minute, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
  2. Add the curry powder and sugar. When the sugar is melted add the coriander stems, coconut milk and 2 tbsp water then bring to a simmer.  You can freeze at this stage if you want to.
  3. Add the fish and the prawns to the sauce then squeeze over half the lime juice. Cover and simmer for 7 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the prawns are pink. Taste for seasoning and add a little more lime juice if you like. Scatter with the coriander leaves and serve hot with boiled rice.

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Fish curry – light and spicy, perfect for Summer.

17 Jul

 I am not a lover of fish in curry, except for prawns that is.  My husband feels the same way, unusual as he loves curry of all kinds.  When I first saw this recipe I was struck by the fact that I loved all the ingredients.  It promised it was not too spicy and, as it was also low in fat, I decided to give it a try.  Thank God I did as this has to be one of the most delicious curry I have ever tasted.

The sauce contains coconut milk so I thought I would try to find some trivia about coconuts.  (ref: www.foodreference.com)

  • Near Port Royal, Jamaica a stone monument on the Palisadoes commemorates the planting of the first coconut tree on the island on March 4, 1869 by John Norton, the Superintendent of the General Penitentiary.  Over the next 20 years, 20,000 coconut trees had been planted. Disease eventually destroyed all of the Palisadoes coconut trees.
  • Falling coconuts kill 150 people every year – 10 times the number of people killed by sharks.
  • Coconut oil was the world’s leading vegetable oil until soybean oil took over in the 1960s.
  • There are more than 20 billion coconuts produced each year.
  • Coconut juice or coconut water is the liquid inside a coconut. Coconut milk is produced by steeping grated coconut in hot water then straining; coconut cream is coconut milk cooked down until it thickens, or grated coconut steeped in hot milk instead of water.

Here is the recipe.  Serve with basmati rice and a tomato and cucumber salad on the side.

Fish curry                                                Serves 2 (easily doubled)

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, very thinly sliced
  • 4 vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 inch piece of root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 – 1.5 tbsp madras curry paste (depending on how hot you want it)
  • 100 ml coconut milk
  • handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 300g cod, skinned and cut into large pieces
  • 2 tbsp pl flour
  1. Heat half the oil in a pan and cook the onions with a pinch of salt over a medium heat until soft and just starting to change colour.
  2. Put the tomatoes, garlic and ginger in a food processor and whizz until smooth.
  3. Add the curry paste to the onions and fry for a couple of minutes.  Stir in the tomato mixture and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.  Add the coconut milk and coriander.
  4. Dust the fish with the flour, shaking off excess and season.  Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick pan and fry the fish over a high heat for 1 minute on each side so they are light brown.  Carefully transfer the fish to the tomato sauce and cook for about 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked through (will depend on thickness of fillets).  Serve immediately.

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