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This recipe for Thai Fish Curry with Coconut Milk is brimming with seasonal veggies and bursting with delicious Thai flavors. A quick and easy dinner, perfect for both weeknights and special occasions. With a Video!
Thai Fish Curry
Tender flaky white fish and seasonal veggies are bathed in the most fragrant Coconut Curry Sauce infused with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves– a fast and easy weeknight dinner that is full of amazing flavor. Serve this over rice, or cauliflower rice!
Thai Fish Curry Video
Type of fish to use in Thai Fish Curry:
Any firm white fish will work well here!
- halibut
- sea bass
- Alaskan cod
- escolar
- black cod
- Haddock
- Mahi Mahi
Fragrant Coconut Curry Sauce
- shallots- give the best flavor or sub onion!
- garlic
- lemongrass – use fresh, frozen or lemongrass paste
- ginger- freshly grated, or use ginger paste
- turmeric- use fresh turmeric root or ground power
- chilies- use jalapeno, serrano or Thai red chilies
- kaffir lime leaves fresh, frozen or dried
- Feel free to use red, yellow or green curry paste to bump up the flavor- or leave it out!
To create a flavorful base, saute shallots, lemongrass, garlic and chilies.
Add fresh turmeric and ginger.
At this point for an extra boost of flavor, you can add Thai Curry Paste- red curry paste, green curry paste, or yellow curry paste. Or leave it out!
Get this deeply golden- this is where the flavor is!
Prep your veggies!
Seasonal Veggies to use:
Carrots, cauliflower, butternut, bell peppers, zucchini, potatoes, green beans, greens ( kale, spinach, etc) asparagus, snow peas, snap peas, green peas!
Divide your veggies
Divide your veggies into slow cooking and quick cooking. Slow cooking veggies like carrots, cauliflower or potatoes go in first, while quick-cooking veggies like asparagus, green beans or snap peas, go in later with the fish ( to keep them vibrant and green!).
So here I’ve added carrots, bell pepper and kaffir lime leaves, along with the chicken (or fish) stock. Cover and let simmer until the carrots are tender.
TIP: Kaffir lime leaves can be hard to find for many of you so I tested out some dried ones I found here. I was surprised at the flavor- much better than I thought!
Once the carrots are tender, add the coconut milk.
Season with fish sauce and lime juice.
Add lime juice to taste. You’ll want this slightly salty and lime-y- understanding that this will mellow out with the addition of the fish and veggies, and will mellow further once it goes over rice. So be bold here!
For more heat- stir in some curry paste, garlic chili paste or even cayenne or chili flakes.
Nestle in the fish and remaining quick-cooking veggies. Simmer gently, turning over the fish after a few minutes, or spooning the flavorful broth over top.
You could also place this in a warm 350F oven until the fish is cooked through to your liking.
Make rice at the same time- I used this pasta cooking method for the fastest cooking.
Garnish the Thai Fish Curry and serve!
Sprinkle with Thai basil, regular basil or cilantro and serve with lime wedges over rice- or if going low-carb, try cauliflower rice. 
What I love about this recipe, besides the vibrant flavor, are all the seasonal veggies! Spring veggies like asparagus, peas or spinach, summer veggies like zucchini, eggplant and green beans, or fall veggies like butternut or cauliflower, all work here!
Feel free to mix it up, just paying attention to which veggies need longer to cook and which ones just need a quick simmer to keep them vibrant. You can always add a handful of baby spinach to add a burst of nutrients and color right at the end.
Hope you are having a glorious week. Breath some fresh air, move that beautiful body, let the sun kiss your face and give you some healing Vitamin D.
xoxo
More recipes you may like:
- Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
- Pad See Ew
- Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca!)
- Thai Pineapple Curry
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Thai Green Curry with Vegetables
- 15 MINUTE THAI COCONUT NOODLE SOUP (KHAO SOI)
- 20 Delicious Thai Recipes!
Thai Fish Curry
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main, fish, keto
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This recipe for Thai Fish Curry with Coconut Milk is brimming with seasonal veggies and bursting with delicious Thai flavors. A quick and easy dinner, perfect for both weeknights and special occasions.
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds firm white fish- Halibut, Alaskan Cod, haddock, Black Cod, Sea Bass (thicker cuts are best)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- one lime- zest and juice
Coconut Thai Curry Sauce:
- 2–3 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
- 2 large shallots or 1 small onion- finely diced ( red, white or yellow)
- 4–6 garlic cloves
- 1– 2 fresh hot chilies- finely diced ( jalapeno, serrano, red chili)
- 3 tablespoons lemongrass, very finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons turmeric root, grated (or sub 1 teaspoon ground)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1–3 tablespoons Thai Curry Paste (optional) red, green, or yellow
- 2 cups chicken or fish stock
- 8 kaffir lime leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups carrots, diced (or sub potatoes)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 14-ounce can coconut milk ( liquid and solids)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- squeeze of lime
- 2 cups green beans, or asparagus, snap peas or snow peas
- 1/2 cup chopped basil, (Thai basil is great!) cilantro, scallions
Serve over jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, basmati rice, black rice or everyday quinoa.
Instructions
Cut the fish into large 2-inch chunks, pat dry and place in a bowl. Season with salt, lime zest from one lime and 1 tablespoon lime juice, and massage lightly to coat. Set aside.
In an extra-large saute pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, lemongrass and fresh chilies. Saute 3-4 more minutes, until fragrant. Turn heat to low. Grate the ginger and turmeric and add the Thai Curry paste if using, saute 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, kaffir lime leaves , salt, carrots and bell pepper. Cover, bring to a simmer and simmer gently for 5 minutes until the carrots are tender.
Once tender, stir in the coconut milk and fish sauce, and a generous squeeze of lime juice- start with half a lime, add more to taste.
Taste it- coconut broth should be salty, lime-y and a little spicy- and adjust to your taste. Add more fish sauce, Thai Curry paste, garlic chili paste, be bold here -keeping in mind all the flavors will mellow out with the addition of the fish, veggies and with it being served over rice.
Nestle in the fish, and quick cooking veggies. Simmer gently over medium low heat, spooning the coconut broth over the top, or turning the fish over after the bottom half is cooked and becomes opaque, about 3 -4 minutes. You can also place this in a warm 350F oven to fish cooking.
Garnish with basil or Thai basil, or cilantro and lime wedges.
Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.
Notes
Leftovers will keep up to 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ lbs halibut- Not including rice
- Calories: 371
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 1074.3 mg
- Fat: 21.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 13.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.8 g
- Fiber: 3.4 g
- Protein: 26.6 g
- Cholesterol: 56.3 mg
Keywords: Thai fish Curry, recipe for Thai fish curry, Thai fish curry with coconut milk, Thai fish curry red, Thai fish curry green, Thai fish curry yellow
Absolutely delicious! I added a little more of the paste ingredients as I was cooking for 4 and I added jumbo king prawns too. Everyone loved it, will be making this more often!
★★★★★
Yum Sophie! Glad you all enjoyed!
I made this tonight, and it’s definitely going to be a house favorite, thanks for the recipe!
Great to hear Tommy!
Did this as a midweek supper for friends dropping in(24) 😳 never ever done Thai before as I’m well known for my meat dishes, I found this a quick and easy recipe. Everyone loved it and my emails are full of everyone wanting the recipe. Reluctantly had to pass it on. Loved it please try it anyone reading this you will not be disappointed, neither will your guests. Thanks .
★★★★★
I’m so glad you are your guest enjoyed- thanks for sharing Gordon!
Delicious and healthy with a nice variety of ingredients. Realized I didn’t have quite enough cod so added some shrimp. Family loved it too.
★★★★★
Perfect Ragna- thanks so much!
Love this recipe so much! Easy to play with. Added 6 roasted cardamon seeds and half teaspoon cardamon to paste mixture (garlic, lemon grass, chili, ginger, green curry paste). Used loads of fresh thai basil/ cilantro/ scallion. So deeply flavorful but light. Thank you so much! Absolutely delicious😍
★★★★★
Yum! thanks Lisa!
Very tasty. I wanted something with fish, ginger, and lemongrass and came across this recipe. I had all but the leaves on hand so it was convenient to make. I live in Costa Rica and had some yucca on hand. Served the meal on boiled, mashed yucca instead of rice and highly recommended that option. Husband loved it too.
★★★★★
Love it Sara- will have to try yucca with this, great idea!
A great recipe, very dynamic, allowing some give and take.
Enjoyed it immensely.
★★★★★
Thanks Sunita, glad you enjoyed!
I made this for a weekly community soup meal and it was a BIG hit! Soooo beautiful and easy to make, thank you!
★★★★★
So glad to hear this Donita!
Brilliant recipe, everyone loved it. Masses all shredded French beans from the garden. I didn’t put in enough sugar but I was the only one to notice
Thanks Alison!
Our first step into Thai cuisine. A fantastic recipe Sylvia! Tastes stunning, and looks great plated up on Basmati rice in a Japanese bowl. We used fresh NZ Terakihi (aka jackass morwong or deep sea perch) and added Argentinean red prawns. Yummo. Thanks
★★★★★
Perfect Mark!
This was delicious and easy. I used Pampano. I have added it to my list of favorites! Thank you Sylvia!
★★★★★
Oh perfect!
I’ve enjoyed making this tasty dish three times now and have learnt that the lemon grass I’m able to access is so dry it’s best kept whole and discarded before serving than dicing and adding to the stew in the hopes it’ll soften. My chopped lemon grass was like golf ball bits, which I could well do without in my favourite curry dish!
Thanks so much!
Soooo delicious! I used the lemongrass turmeric paste from Mekhala and skipped the curry paste. I made this for one of the families I cooked for and it was a such a huge hit, I had to make it for myself, too! I look forward to having this in all of the rotations 😀
★★★★★
Thanks Nichole, glad it worked out for you!
This recipe was excellent. I used 1.5 cups of Pho Broth and didn’t use fish sauce. I used roasted red peppers, carrots and plain old garden peas for the veggies and it was a great combo. Highly recommend this recipe, thank you!
★★★★★
Love it Shelley, sounds perfect.
Umm…YUM! I love this recipe SO much. Have already made it twice in a month, and it will most likely become a staple around here! It’s so fresh, tangy and springy. Very versatile, depending on what you’ve got in the house — as long as you’ve got fish sauce, limes and coconut milk, everything else falls into place. Thank you, Sylvia!👌🏻Highly recommend! 😎👍🏽🌟
★★★★★
Yay Robin, glad you gave it a go!
I made this tonight and it was great! I used shrimp and red snapper because that’s what I had and the fish was amazingly flavorful.
★★★★★
Awesome Rachel!
Incredibly delicious! I added shrimp and scallops because I only had 2 fish fillets.
Crazy good!
★★★★★
Glad you liked this Mary! Thanks for the rating!
Love a good fish or seafood curry and this one hits all the right spots for us. Heavenly. Thank you Sylvia. 🙂
★★★★★
Awesome Gen! Great to hear!
one of the rare recipe that yields an amazing dish. If i were to do it again, i would prefer a creamier curry so i’d go lighter on the stock
★★★★★
Made this recipe for my family. Substituted tofu for the fish. Used homemade shrimp & crab stock. Served
it on a bed of brown basmati rice. OMG! The most authentic, delectable homemade Thai food ever!!
My family rated this meal 11/10!!! THAT FANTASTIC!
★★★★★
Awesome Mireille!
Hi Sylvia, We eat a lot of Basmati rice and I saw your suggestion for the “pasta method” for preparing. Approximately how long should we boil the rice using this method?
Love your recipes and ideas.
★★★★
Hi Craig, just cook the rice until tender. No “set” time here. 🙂
Can I make it 2 days early and refrigerate it or freeze it ?
I think you could make the coconut curry base ahead and refrigerate- that would be fine, but I would suggest cooking the fish right before serving.
Sylvia, do you have a recommendation for a substitute for coconut milk? I love curries, but both my partner and I don’t digest coconut milk well, and so we’ve been abstaining for a long time. We’re also dairy free (allergy) which makes it even more complicated :). I figured if someone would have an idea, you would!
How about trying a nut-based creamer? Like Milkadamia?
1st time cooking this and used mullet. Not a big fish curry fan to be honest, but I’ll be cooking this alot thankyou
★★★★★
Glad you gave it a go!