Thai red curry fish is a lovely change from the usual chicken and a flavour-filled way to enjoy fish, that’s ready in less than 30 minutes!
If you’re looking for more delicious ways to enjoy fish, you’ll love this Thai red curry fish. It’s a great change from the usual chicken. This recipe works well with any whitefish and the entire meal comes together in less than 30 minutes!
I love that this is an entire meal in one bowl, complete with plenty of vegetables, along with the fish.
What you’ll need
Some notes about the key ingredients …
Whitefish – I have used boneless, skinless cod here, but any boneless, skinless white fish will work here. Whitefish could be pollock, bass, cod, grouper, flounder, tilapia, sole, haddock or halibut.
Thai Red Curry Paste – look for Thai red curry paste in with the International sauces. If you only have green or yellow curry paste on hand, that will work fine here, too.
Shallots – if you don’t have shallots, simply substitute yellow cooking onion.
Matchstick Carrots – look for bagged match-sticked carrots at the grocery store to save a ton of time here. You could also match-stick your own, but I recommend simply shredding the carrot on a box grater or spiralizing the carrot and cutting it into smaller pieces for quick and easy prep and quick cooking.
Frozen Green Beans – frozen green beans are an easy solution, but fresh green beans are fine, too. If you don’t have green beans on hand, look for another green to substitute. Frozen peas or spinach would both be great. For spinach, add at the end of cooking just until wilted.
Coconut Milk – I recommend full-fat coconut milk, for the creamiest sauce, but lite coconut milk will work here.
Ginger Paste – I love the convenience of ginger paste, either in the tubes or the little jars. You can certainly grate your own fresh ginger, as well.
Lemongrass Paste – speaking of tubes, lemongrass paste is widely available in the little tubes as well. It is a great addition to any Thai cooking. If you have lemongrass stalks, you can peel and scrape some in, as well.
Fish Sauce – again, fish sauce is a nice addition to Thai dishes, but can be omitted if you don’t have it on hand.
Step-by-step photos
- Pop the fish into the oven to cook. Meanwhile, heat a bit of oil in a skillet. Add the shallots, carrots, red bell pepper and frozen green beans. Saute for a few minutes to soften.
- Add the Thai red curry paste to the skillet and cook briefly.
- Add the coconut milk to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Add the ginger paste and lemongrass paste to the skillet.
- Add the fish sauce to the skillet.
- Add the brown sugar to the skillet.
- Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes.
- Finish the sauce with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
- Remove fish from the oven to a bowl, then spoon the hot sauce overtop.
Recipe video
Recipe tips
- Adjust the amount of red curry paste to your taste. You can stir more in at the end of cooking if needed.
- Don’t forget a bit of salt! Taste the sauce at the end of cooking and season with salt, as needed. If the sauce tastes flat, it probably needs more salt.
- You can cook the fish any way you like. I like to pop it in the oven and then make the sauce while the fish cooks. You can certainly pan-fry the fish if you prefer, alongside making the sauce in another skillet.
Top Tip!
Don’t spend time match-sticking carrots! Buy them already match-sticked. Look for the small bags of match-sticked carrots in with the whole carrots (or sometimes in with the packaged salads). They are great for stir-fries or adding to salads and such a time saver.
What to serve with Thai red curry fish
I feel like this recipe can be enjoyed as a complete meal in a bowl, or if you wanted to add something, a bit of rice (basmati or jasmine) would be a perfect addition.
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Ingredients
- 2 fillets whitefish, such as cod, sole, tilapia, halibut, pollock, haddock, boneless and skinless, fresh or frozen
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil, for pan
- 1/4 cup shallot or onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium bell pepper, cored, thinly sliced and cut into bite-sized lengths
- 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
- 1/2 cup matchsticked or shredded carrots
- 1 Tablespoon Thai red curry paste, plus more to taste
- 2/3-1 cup full-fat coconut milk, stirred (or all of a 160ml/5.4oz can)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar, optional
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste, or 1/2 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon lemongrass paste, optional
- Juice of 1/4 lime
- Salt, as needed
For serving:
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- green onion, sliced
- Lime wedges, for drizzling
Instructions
- Ingredients are for 2 servings. Double or triple as needed using the 2X or 3X buttons on the Recipe Card
- Cook fish: cooking the fish in the oven is the easiest method. Start with thawed fish. Pat dry and brush with a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place onto a baking sheet (foil lined for easy clean-up is always good). Cook in a 375F oven for 15-20 minutes, until the fish flakes or the fish reaches 145F internal temperature. Cooking in the oven allows you to concentrate on making the sauce while the fish cooks. Alternately, you can pan fry the fish. You'll need two skillets working side-by-side.
- Make sauce: heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, red bell pepper, carrots and green beans. Cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the red curry paste to the skillet and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, ginger paste and lemongrass paste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer sauce until the fish is ready.
- Finish the sauce with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, then taste the sauce. Add additional salt as needed. You can also add more red curry paste, to taste.
- When the fish is cooked, remove from the oven and place in a serving bowl. Spoon the hot sauce and vegetables over the fish. Serve garnished with sliced green onion and fresh chopped cilantro and with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hi there! Love your recipes!Â
Need some clarification on cooking the fish. Instruction #4 refers to cooking the fish in the sauce, but there are also instructions for cooking the fish in the oven.
Hi Julia, sorry that was awkward wording on my part. What I meant to say was to keep the sauce simmering and warm until the fish is ready (finished baking in the oven). I’ve cleaned that up (hopefully :) Thanks for pointing that out.