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!
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 coconut rice or cauliflower rice!
Why You’ll Love This!
- Loaded with veggies! A colorful, seasonal dish packed with vitamins and nutrients.
- Quick & easy! A simple one-pot method with familiar ingredients.
- Versatile! Enjoy for a comforting weeknight meal or serve this beautiful dish for a special occasion.
Fish Curry Ingredients
- White fish: Any firm ocean white fish will work well here (halibut, sea bass, Alaskan cod, escolar, ono, black cod, haddock, mahi mahi). Thicker cuts are best!
- Thai curry paste: Optional, but adds distinct rich and herbaceous flavor. Use Thai red curry paste, yellow curry paste, or green curry paste!
- Lime: You’ll need both zest and juice to infuse the fish with a tangy, citrusy aroma.
- Aromatics: Large shallots or a small onion (red, white, or yellow), garlic cloves, lemongrass stalks (use fresh, frozen, or lemongrass paste), turmeric root (or sub ground), fresh ginger (or ginger paste), and kaffir lime leaves (fresh, frozen, or dried).
- Fresh hot chilies: Use jalapeño, serrano, or red chillies to give the dish a nice heat.
- Chicken or fish stock: The flavorful, savory base for the curry.
- Vegetables: Carrots (or sub potatoes), red bell pepper, and green beans (or asparagus, snap peas, or snow peas). You can also add cauliflower, butternut, zucchini, dark leafy greens, or green peas.
- Coconut milk: Gives the dish a rich and creamy texture.
- Fish sauce: For saltiness, umami flavor, and depth.
- Fresh herbs: Chopped basil, cilantro, or scallions. Thai basil is great here!
How to Make Thai Fish Curry
Step 1: Prep the fish. Cut 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. Massage gently.
Step 2: Sauté aromatics. Heat coconut oil in an extra large sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until golden, 4 minutes. Add garlic, lemongrass, and fresh chilies, sautéing 3-4 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, then grate ginger and turmeric and add Thai curry paste, cooking 1 minute.
Step 3: Simmer. Add stock, kaffir lime leaves, salt, carrots, and bell pepper. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes until carrots are tender.
Tip: Kaffir lime leaves can be hard to find for many of you so I tested out some dried ones. I was surprised at the flavor- much better than I thought!
Tip: Make the rice at the same time- I used this pasta cooking method for the fastest cooking.
Step 4: Add coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime. Stir in coconut milk, fish sauce, and a generous squeeze of lime juice. Taste and adjust, adding more lime if desired.
Step 5: Taste. The broth should be salty with lots of lime and a little heat. Adjust to your taste, adding more fish sauce, Thai curry paste, or garlic chili paste. The flavors should be bold here, as they will mellow out with the addition of fish and veggies, and when being served over rice.
Step 6: Add fish and veggies. Nestle in the fish fillets and quick-cooking veggies. Simmer over medium low heat, and either spoon the broth over top or turn the fish over once the bottom half has cooked and become opaque, about 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, you can place the pot in a warm 350F oven to finish cooking.
Step 7: Garnish and serve. Sprinkle with Thai basil, regular basil or cilantro or scallions and serve with lime wedges over rice- or if going low-carb, try cauliflower rice.
What to Serve with Thai Fish Curry
Serve this Thai Fish Curry over a bowl of grains, like:
FAQs
Any firm white fish! Halibut, sea bass, Alaskan cod, escolar, black cod, haddock, or mahi mahi.
This curry will last 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop.
We do not recommend freezing Thai Fish Curry as cooked fish does not freeze well and will become tough.
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 seafood & Fish recipes!
Thai Fish Curry Video
Thai Fish Curry
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: Main, fish recipe, low-carb
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai food
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 in an airtight container.
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
That is the absolute Best curry recipe EVER!! I used salmon instead of cod because that was what was available at my local market and it was perfect. Thank you for yet another outstanding recipe!
Great to hear Victoria! Thanks so much!
Just divine! I could eat that sauce over anything! But the fish balances the otherwise hearty sauce very well. I used sweet potatoes instead of carrots, so it took a little longer to soften. An absolute make-again dish!
Glad yo uenjoyed this!
Glad you enjoyed this!
Wow, did I look genius tonight! Made the broth ahead just as described, heated it when ready for mains, dropped in fish and prawns pre-prepared, dished minutes later and basked in the glory. Well done Sylvia! And thank you for introducing me to how easy Thai can be 🥰
Yay Kath! Happy this worked for you!
Delicious recipe, flavourful
fresh and nicely balanced. I didn’t use paste but added a half teaspoon if sugar for some sweetness.
Perfect Leah!
I really want to make this to take on a girls trip. We definitely won’t have all the required kitchen implements at the air B&B (nor do I want to carry everything needed individually), so I am wondering how much of this can be preprepared. What would be the stopping point: before adding the coconut milk, or before the simmering vegetables? Or should I get it totally prepared except for the fish? And how many days in advance could the curry be made? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Get the coconut sauce totally prepared, then just add the fish, on the day you are serving. The sauce will keep up to 4 days, but I would aim for 2-3. 😉 Have a fun time with your friends! 🥂
Sorry it took so long to circle back and thank you for this guidance. I did as you suggested, and it worked perfectly! Everyone was SO IMPRESSED (not that it matters, but it sure does feel nice)! And what a treat to have an incredible Thai meal at an Air B&B in the middle of a national forest after a cold, rainy day of kayaking. I make a lot of your recipes, and I am always delighted with them. But this was truly extra special. Thanks for helping me figure out how to make it happen! 🥂
Glad this worked Nicole! Yay!
This is a simply delicious recipe! I love the way you explain the need to divide the slow and quick cooking vegetables at different stages of the cooking process. Works a treat! Thanks so much! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this Sharon!
Silvia, this is divine! The combination of Thai Red curry paste and coconut and lime is simply complimentary for a mouthful of vegetable and fish deliciousness.
Thanks so much Anna!
Silvia, this is divine! The combination of Thai Red curry paste and coconut and lime is simply complimentary for a mouthful of vegetable and fish deliciousness.
Your FISH CURRY was the best recipie I tried . I used my puréed squash soup as a thickener
Thanks so much Vicky!
This stew is outstanding. I’ve made it twice in the past few months. The flavors are incredible, but you have to taste test the broth (as the recipe instructs) to get it where you like it. I haven’t yet used the lemongrass, chilies, or the lime leaves. I sub 1 tablespoon of curry powder for the curry paste because I don’t like things too spicy. It’s a warm, comforting, flavorful, healthy dish. It’s been my favorite way to use cod yet! I’ll make it regularly.
*One note: I chopped up a head of cauliflower to use in place of the green veggies, and I had a hard time differentiating it from the cod when I was dishing it out, since they’re both white. The only reason this was a problem is because I was trying to make sure I got enough protein in my dish! I won’t add as much cauliflower next time.
Hi Jessica-glad this works for you a love how you made it your own!
Five stars from me. I used red snapper, left out the Thai curry paste and threw in some frozen peas but did everything else as called for. A keeper recipe and company-worthy!
Perfect Mary Jane!
This is SO delicious!!! We’ve tried making Thai curry dishes for years at home but they never quite hit the mark. This truly does. It’s amazing! Thank you!!!
So happy you enjoyed this Marti!
Absolutely perfect! I didn’t add the fresh chiles because I forgot to buy them but with ~2 tablespoons curry paste it had a nice balanced heat. I also added a swirl of tamarind and it was delicious, but totally unnecessary! Just wanted to use it cuz I had it 🙂
Love it!
This was the best thai curry I’ve had – my husband and I loved it!
Oh good!
Im making this tonight and have prepared the curry. Is it ok to rub the lime zest, juice and salt on the fish several hours before?
Yes!
Excellent dish. Went great with the Alaskan sablefish we had. I would make it spicier next time. I subbed lime/lemon zest for the Kaffir leaves and that seemed to work ok.
The only criticism I have is that prep took much longer, almost an hour, for me.
I’m on your email list and have really enjoyed the recipes.
Thanks Chris. Sorry about the prep time!
Sylvia, I can’t tell you how excited I am about this recipe. Growing up on the Pacific coast, I was spoiled by a wide variety of authentic Asian restaurants. Where I live now I can’t get decent Thai food. I miss it terribly and have always found it particularly challenging to capture at home, but this recipe is it! It’s the first time I’ve found the right technique to create the coconut curry broth I so crave. THANK YOU!
Awesome Carrie- glad you liked it!
Sauce was delicious. I used eggplants, string beans, low fat coconut milk .
But am not sure if I pick the right fish Red Snapper ?
Would say my husband loves it.
Thank you Sylvia.
it sounds good to me Irene!
Oh my goodness. I am a big fan of Feasting at Home and cook 1-3 recipes a week from here. This is incredibly delicious and complex without being difficult. Had friends over for post vaccination gathering and this was so perfect!
Made as written except used vegetable broth rather than chicken.
Glad you enjoyed it Jo!
My new fave! I made the curry the day before our little dinner party to let all the flavors commingle….and they loved each other! Just before dinner I added red pepper, asparagus and scallops then right at the end some fresh spinach. It was a feast for the eyes, stomach and soul! Thanks, Sylvia.
Yay Kim! Glad you enjoyed!
Excellent recipe. The broth is perfect. Love that I’ll be able to make it again and again with different seasonal vegetables.
When do you add the asparagus?
Nevermind! I read through more thoroughly. 🙂
Very good! Like another reviewer, I also used turmeric/lemongrass paste because my store was out of fresh lemongrass. I will make this again.
Absolutely delicious! I used a turmeric / lemongrass paste instead of fresh lemongrass (couldn’t find any locally), and it turned out great. The whole family enjoyed this recipe…even better the next day when the flavors had more time to meld together. Thanks for the inspiration!
Great to hear Gabrial!
This looks good. Will certainly give it a try. By the way I love most of your vegan recipes, they are awesome.