Coconut Curry Fish

Published Jan. 22, 2021

Coconut Curry Fish
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(2,316)
Comments
Read comments

Jamaican curry powder plays a major role in this deeply savory weeknight dish, giving the sauce its unique flavor and golden hue. The traditional spice blend is heavy on the turmeric, and benefits from being toasted, which brings out its notes. This recipe calls for frozen whiting, which doesn’t hold up to frying but shines here, simmered in a sauce studded with red and green bell peppers. If whiting is unavailable, cod is also a good choice.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 2medium red bell peppers, deseeded and sliced into ¼-inch-thick strips
  • 2medium green bell peppers, deseeded and sliced into ¼-inch-thick strips
  • 1medium onion, sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • tablespoons Jamaican curry powder (hot or mild)
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 1tablespoon grated ginger
  • 4(6-ounce) fillets frozen fish, such as whiting or cod
  • 1(14-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 1lime
  • 2scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, for garnish
  • Fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish
  • White rice or couscous, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

486 calories; 30 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 932 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a medium (10-inch) saucepan with deep sides over medium-high. Drizzle in olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add red and green bell peppers and onion, and sauté until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Add the curry powder to the pan, and toast for about 1 minute, stirring often to keep the curry from scorching. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the grated ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

  3. Step 3

    Place fish on top of cooked vegetables, or nestle them into the vegetables, if your pan is becoming too full. Pour coconut milk over fish and vegetables.

  4. Step 4

    Cover and simmer over medium-low until fish is cooked and starts to flake, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Squeeze lime to taste over the top and garnish with scallions and cilantro. Serve with white rice or couscous.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,316 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Delicious but after trying this a couple times, by the time the frozen fish (1" thick frozen Cod fillets) is fully cooked, the peppers are overcooked. Next time I will saute peppers and onion for a couple minutes and set aside. Then cook garlic/ginger/curry before adding the Cod in with the coconut milk (plus saute juice) and simmer for at least 10 mins before adding pepper mix back in to finish.

It's just a question, JP and not pretentious in the least. Usually recipes call for fresh, so is there a reason for frozen fish?

Where do you find Jamaican curry powder? Is it generally available?

I used cod, omitted the green pepper and added zucchini. Agree with others that onions and peppers were overcooked by the time the fish was cooked through, so maybe set those aside, add the fish until cooked through and then add peppers and onions back in to let all the flavors meld. I served over jasmine rice and it was delicious. The fish added nice flavor in the leftovers.

I followed the suggestions from other readers to cook the peppers and onions separately before adding to the curry and fish. I think this recipe actually had way too many bell peppers…one of each and half an onion would’ve been plenty.

This was delicious!! Following some of the comments I cooked the vegetables first and set them aside (using 1 bell pepper instead of 4 and adding green beans). I sautéed the curry spices - using much more than the receipt calls for - along with the garlic and ginger, then added the coconut milk and heated the mixture through. I added halibut and let it simmer only for a few minutes and turned it off. The heat gently cooked the fish and it flaked easily but was not tough. I added the vegetables back in at the end. I will be making this again!

Private comments are only visible to you.

or to save this recipe.