When I need a quick and healthy dinner, I turn to fish. There is almost always one variety of fish that is in season and available fresh. And when you have great fish to start with, you need to do very little to it to have a great tasting meal. In this case, a light coconut curry sauce adds just enough zing to to keep things interesting. The fact that my daughter kept sneaking tastes of the sauce while I was trying to photograph this recipe told me I had a keeper.
Although there is curry paste in the sauce, I would not say this is a true “curry” dish. It is more like “curry-light”. So, if you are not sure if you like Thai curry, this recipe might be a good way to dip your toe in the curry pool (so to speak). Even my husband who does not normally eat curry, likes this dish. If you do like curry, you may find yourself wanting to lick the saucepan.
The first time I made this a few months ago mahi-mahi was available (and on sale) but it isn’t in season now. I substituted grouper this time and it was equally delicious.
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons minced scallions plus more for serving
- 4 6-ounce mahi-mahi fillets (or other firm white fish such as grouper)
- Steamed rice for serving
Instructions
- Combine first 7 ingredients (coconut milk through fish sauce) in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and green onions. Set aside to cool slightly. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Scoop out 1/4 cup of the sauce for marinating the fish. Save the remainder to serve later.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place fish fillets on top. Season fish with salt and pepper then brush fish with the 1/4 cup of reserved sauce. Cook fish in oven until opaque in center, 10-20 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Serve fish with hot rice and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with additional cilantro and scallions, if desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, July 2010.
Here are some other seafood favorites you might like –
This recipe for creamy orzo with salmon and peas has everything you need for a delicious meal in one pan and under 40 minutes – salmon, pasta, peas, and, most importantly – cheese!
I think you’ll also love this recipe for shrimp and pasta in madeira sauce.
What a wonderful recipe, where we spend our summers fresh tuna is available for 2.50 a pound, of course that is for the whole fish so you end up spending at least 5.00 a pound on what you really can eat. Will be trying this recipe for sure, sounds amazing!!!!! Love your presentation!
You are so lucky – I can never get tuna at that price where we live! I hope you enjoy the recipe.
That coconut and curry sauce looks seriously divine.. I have to try the recipe out. Thanks for sharing it!
can any other white fish be used in this recipe? We can’t get mahi-mahi here in Ireland.
You can use any mild firm white fish. Is grouper available? I have used grouper fillets for this recipe and it is equally delicious.
I just made this with the Mahi Mahi. I had yello curry paste on hand instead of red but it was delicious! What I love about this technique is that the curry was not overwhelming. This was very refreshing. You are spot on with your tips: easy intro to thai curry, any firm white fish would be good. I am going to try this with a few different kinds of fish.
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment, Jen!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Two of my three kids liked it (my daughter is a very plain Jane kinda girl she ate plain noodles) I’m not usually one to comment on recipes but I just had to let you know this was a big hit in my house.
Thank you so much! I am really happy this recipe worked for you.
Delicious!!!!!!! While organizing my freezer I found one last small piece of mahi-mahi. I started looking up recipes & came across a few thai inspired dishes. I chose this one because it had more “authentic” ingredients like the fish sauce. I made a couple changes, only because my lemon tree is producing & my lime is not. I sautéed some asparagus because it’s in season so I also cooked the fish on stovetop. This was so good!!!!!!! I feel guilty not having enough for the hubby but I will be making this again 🙂
I am so glad you enjoyed this dish. Thank you for coming back to comment. I know what you mean about the lemons – my sister’s tree is producing a lot of lemons right now, too.
Can you use powdered curry?
I wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t think you will get the same flavor using curry powder. Thanks.
Love this! Was needing something easy and with ingredients I had on hand. Did not use sugar or fish sauce. Did not use Cilantro as did not have on hand. Used curry powder as that was all I had curry wise. Served over a coconut type of rice. Was DELICIOUS. I enjoy recipes as a guide and then I improvise based on what I have and what I like/use. I will make this again!
Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment. I am glad to know that curry powder works in this recipe as another commenter was wondering if that would work.
Would salmon work?
I have never tried this with salmon so I can’t say for sure it would work. However, given some of the comments other readers have left, this recipe seems pretty flexible. Let me know if you try this with salmon. I would love to know how it works for you. Thanks.
I made this tonight with salmon and it was great!
I’m happy to hear it works with salmon too. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment. Have a great weekend.
It was awesome! I made it tonight. I used halibut.
I also put lime and cilantro in jasmine rice.
That’s a great idea. I love cilantro rice!
Christina, I’m so glad you loved it!!! Thanks for coming back to comment.
I do not like spicy foods. do you think 1 T curry paste is spicy or should I use less. How much do you recommend if I want to tone down the spice.
I don’t like spicy foods either and find that 1 tablespoon of curry paste has just enough heat for me. However, curry pastes can vary by brand and everyone has different taste preferences. So, I would recommend starting with 1/2 tablespoon of curry paste and then tasting the sauce after it has simmered for a few minutes. If you like the flavor, then go with it. If you think it needs more flavor, add 1-2 teaspoons more of curry paste and taste again. Hope that helps. Thanks!
Can I use salmon instead of white fish?
I have never tried it with salmon but another reader commented that she had tried it with salmon and it worked great for her.
Can I just say…Holy Cow!
Made this tonight, used Mahi-Mahi. We live in Florida, so everything is available most of the time. I followed the recipe exactly and would not change a thing. Served with zucchini cakes and jasmine rice. My husband said it was restaurant quality and he used to own a restaurant. Will make this a lot, will try out other fish as well. Five stars!!!
Thank you sooooo much for your kind words. Your comment made my day!!
This looks wonderful! How long do I need to marinate the fish in the sauce?
No time at all really. Just brush the reserved sauce on the seasoned fish and bake. Hope you like the recipe. Thanks!
This has got to be one of my favourites. We have friends who hate fish & when I made this, they couldn’t believe how delicious it was. I have a 2 bedroom B&B and now it’s become one of my most requested dinners from my returning guests. Thank you so much for sharing. Sometimes I add green curry paste , hot bird pepper & a 1/2 tsp of brown sugar. Wow! So simple, yet so delicious.
I would love to put the picture on my site. We eat with our eyes. What would your cost be?
Thank you so much for your sweet comment!! I’m so glad this recipe has been such a success for you.
If you’re interested in using a photo on your website, please send me an email at tamingofthespoon (at) gmail (dot) com or fill out the contact form and we can discuss the details. Thanks.
This recipe was so delicious and took less than 20 mnts..
I replaced the fish oil with soya sauce, added coconut sugar instead of regular one, some zocchini, asparagus, spinach and scallions leaves.. i added some spices called the seven spice.. then i applied some spice to the salmon and baked it then cut it into cupes and added it to the stew.. everything was tasty and smells so yummy.. thank you for the great recipe
I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
Very tasty! Always looking for good recipes, especially with fish. I couldn’t find any Mahi (even frozen), so we subbed halibut. Next time, we may try tuna. Thanks!
Thank you! Let us know how the tuna works out.
Can’t wait to try this recipe based on the reviews. We can get mahi from a local seafood market when it is available.
You’re so lucky to be able to get fresh mahi locally. I hope you like the recipe. Let me know what you think!
I don’t usually love mahi mahi, but my family and I thought this preparation was excellent. Will definitely be making it again. Thank you!
★★★★★
That’s so great to hear Cat! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know!
Made this tonight with cod (no mahi-mahi here in Switzerland) and it was fantastic! The sauce is to die for. I made the recipe as written except for adding 1 tsp if soy sauce to the coconut sauce and 1 extra garlic clove. My husband licked his plate and immediately asked when I will cook it again. Paired it with quinoa cooked with lemon and turmeric and steamed broccoli. Yummmmm! Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I’m so glad you guys loved the recipe.
Solid recipe. Made the sauce using ginger from a squeeze bottle, and added about 1/2 Tbsp of lemongrass paste. Was excellent. Cooked the mahi mahi exactly per recipe and it came out very well. Served over plain jasmine rice and with a side of sauteed bok choi. Big hit with entire family.
★★★★★
Awesome!!! Glad you enjoyed this, Andrew. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Delicious and SO simple! Just make sure you add enough salt to the sauce! Definitely something we will have again!
★★★★★
I’m so pleased you like this Erica! Thank you for taking the time to come back to let me know. BTW, you can also add more fish sauce if you want a more salty flavor. Thanks!
Love it, makes a lot of sauce for 2, I have no problem eating this 3x a week…it is that delicious!! The Mahi Mahi is very moist!!
Glad you enjoyed this Pat! Thanks!!
Delicious. I added slightly more red curry paste (we like heat) and used regular coconut milk. Came out excellent. Family gave two thumbs up.
★★★★★
That’s so great to hear, Amy! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi! I’m actually making this right now and my sauce did not thicken? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Did you use low-fat or full-fat coconut milk? If you were using low-fat coconut milk, the sauce might not thicken very much since there’s more water in it. It’s fine if the sauce is a little thin, it will still taste good.
Quick, easy, and delicious! Keeping this for my regular rotation…thanks!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you love it Courtney!
Thank you!!! I made this tonight and it tasted amazing. I paired it with a chopped asian and some mango. Loved every bite!
★★★★★
That’s great to hear Leandra! So pleased you enjoyed this!
That was just fabulous! I made it almost exactly as written. My only change was to use Halibut opposed to Mahi . My husband asked me to please save this recipe.
★★★★★
Thanks Debbie!! I’ve used halibut in this recipe too and love it just as much.
This is delish! I have made it with shrimp and with halibut. I doubled the curry paste for a stronger flavor. Perfect, easy recipe 😊
I’ve never tried adding shrimp but it sounds delish! So glad you liked the recipe.
Just made this tonight and used grouper as Mahi Mahi was out of season according to my fish guy. It was excellent!
I used the low fat coconut milk and it came out fine, even though thinner probably than had I used full fat. But the rice soaked up the sauce and the flavors tasted so good together! I didn’t have fish sauce so I used a little Worcestershire sauce instead.
thanks for this wonderful recipe. I cannot wait to try some of your other recipes.
★★★★★
You’re so welcome! I hope you love the other recipes just as much.
This is fabulous. Made it tonight and will definitely be making weekly. Thanks for sharing a delicious recipe!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you liked it. It’s a great recipe to have on hand for easy dinners. Thank you so much for your comment and 5-star review.