Curry Fish Stew
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Curry Fish Stew is a delicious combination of chopped fresh veggies, a coconut curry broth, and some flaky white fish. Serve this stew over rice for a complete meal. So healthy and super tasty too!
Soup Season at our home looks like a constant rotations of flavors and textures. We love a spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup, a creamy Autumn Squash Soup, or a hearty Beef Barley Vegetable Soup on any given night of the week!
Easy Fish Curry
We’ve been on a curry kick all year long. Curried Meatballs, Chicken Curry with Vegetables, Sweet Potato Curry Soup, and the list goes on. These are some of our favorite recipes because a simple Red Curry Sauce takes somewhat boring food and makes them FABULOUS! The other things is that it’s healthy and not heavy in sugar or fats.
While sea bass is not an inexpensive dinner, it’s cheaper than dining out. Try my Pan Seared Sea Bass next time!
Why This Recipe Works:
- SIMPLE TO MAKE – While this recipe involves lots of chopping, it’s fairly simple to make. Trust me.
- COLORFUL & HEALTHY – All of the veggies are a mix of beautiful colors and makes this dish pleasing to look at and chock full of healthy ingredients.
- FULL OF FLAVOR – Curry equals FLAVOR. Once you try it, there is no going back. You’ll be hooked.
Ingredients needed for Curry Fish Stew:
- Fish – Use white fish, like cod, haddock, tilapia, shrimp, or even sea bass.
- Olive Oil and Seasonings – Extra-Virgin Olive oil plus salt and pepper is used to sauté and season the stew.
- Veggies – Onion, carrots, yellow or red bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, sweet potatoes, and garlic. Dice these veggies up small, uniform in size. You can also use different combos of veggies, according to what you prefer.
- Broth – Lower-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable stock) works best in this stew, so you can control the salt.
- Coconut Milk – One can of full-fat coconut milk is preferred.
- Curry Paste – I love the Thai Red Curry Paste, easily found in most grocery stores.
- Lime – Use the zest for the stew, and the lime juice for serving the stew.
- To serve – Serve the stew over prepared white rice (or cauliflower rice for a low carb version) with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Add some lime wedges to bowls.
How to make Curry Fish Stew:
Step 1
Prep fish. Pat the fish dry on all sides (with paper towel). Slice in bite-sized chunks and season well with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to add to stew.
Step 2
Dice veggies. Dice up the veggies in small uniform pieces. (See above.) Set aside.
Step 3
Sauté veggies. Heat oil In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. The add the diced onion, carrots, peppers, and sweet potatoes, along with some salt and pepper. Cook until slightly soft, about 6-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and chopped tomato – and stir for another minute or so.
Step 4
Add remaining ingredients. Then add the broth, coconut milk, red curry paste, diced cherry tomatoes, a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional), and the lime zest. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook until the veggies are tender, about 10-15 minutes
Step 5
Add the fish. Place the chunks of fish into the stew, pressing it into the liquid so that it is nearly covered. Cook for about five more minutes (depending on how big the chunks are), or until fish easily flakes with a fork. Remove from heat immediately.
Step 6
Serve. Serve the fish stew over some prepared rice. Add some freshly squeezed lime juice, some chopped cilantro (or chopped green onions), and additional black pepper or red pepper flakes.
Is curry sauce spicy?
THIS recipe is on the spicy side, but not overwhelming. You CAN find other versions that are more mild in flavor. There are three basic types of curry that you normally see in restaurants, and they vary according to the paste they use and the chef that is preparing them.
- Red Curry uses red curry paste, which include red chilies and other spicy ingredients like chili powder to make this the spiciest sauce of all three.
- Yellow Curry includes yellow curry paste which is milder than red, and includes turmeric that provides that yellow color.
- Green Curry features green curry paste, containing fresh coriander to provide the green color, and an even milder flavor.
Recipe Tips:
- Chop the veggies in small little pieces to speed up the cooking process.
- Use full-fat coconut milk for best flavor. The unsweetened or light products will be watery.
- You can choose from a variety of white fish for this stew. We also like using a combo of different kinds, depending on what I have in the house.
- Be careful to avoid over-cooking the fish. It will cook fast, depending on how thick the pieces are.
- You can serve the stew over white or brown rice.
- If you have leftovers, I recommend storing the stew separately from the rice.
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
Curry Fish Stew
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds white fish – thicker cuts like cod, haddock, halibut, or sea bass
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion – diced
- 3 large carrots – diced
- 1 medium yellow pepper – diced
- 1 large jalapeno pepper – diced (with or without seeds)
- 1 medium sweet potato – peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 2 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
- 15 oz. coconut milk – full-fat recommended
- 4 oz. Thai red curry paste
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes – halved
- 1 medium lime – zested and juiced
- white rice – to serve
- chopped cilantro – to serve
Instructions
- Prep fish. Slice the fish into large bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Prep veggies. Dice the veggies – onion, carrots, peppers, and sweet potatoes in small little pieces – uniform in size. Mince the garlic. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Cook. In a medium stockpot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced veggies, salt, and pepper, and stir. Cook until slightly softened, about 6-7 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and halved cherry tomatoes – and stir for another minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients – the broth, coconut milk, red curry paste, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and the lime zest. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the veggies are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the fish to the stew and push it into the mixture so it is covered. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the fish is just flaky. (Be careful to avoid over-cooking!)
- Serve the fish stew over some white rice, with a squeeze of lime juice, and some chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Chop the veggies in small little pieces to speed up the cooking process.
- Use full-fat coconut milk for best flavor. The unsweetened or light products will be watery.
- You can choose from a variety of white fish for this stew. We also like using a combo of different kinds, depending on what I have in the house.
- Be careful to avoid over-cooking the fish. It will cook fast, depending on how thick the pieces are.
- You can serve the stew over white or brown rice.
I’m planning to make it tonight. Just wondering if the sauce is too thin and more like soup? Do you add a thickener to this recipe.
I’ve never thought it needed to be thickened but you’ll have to decide that when you make it. Good luck!
To shop I had a photo of the list of ingredients and could not find “Thai Chili Paste” so bought Mexican Chili garlic sauce. Later when I was actually making the recipe I re-read the ingredient list multiple times looking for the word curry, since I had found this recipe by looking for a Curry Fish stew. FINALLY I started at the top and found the discussion of Curry pastes, and fortunately had a jar of green curry paste for another recipe. Clearly the sign of an inexperienced cook, I guess, because I was supposed to buy “Curry paste” when it said “chili paste.”
I’m SO sorry about that error! I just fixed it, and yes, it’s CURRY paste not chili paste!
Delicious! Definite keeper. Lime makes such a wonderful taste with coconut milk. Added shrimp since I only had a little over a pound of paddock.
Hi Shirley! Thanks so much for your feedback. SO happy that you were pleased with this recipe! 🙂
One of my favorite curry recipes. So tasty and healthy too!