Thai Fish Curry
Serves 4 (although two of the adults (not me!) ate it with rice, might have been a little stingy for 4 without it)
I was craving this while doing bootcamp, but didn't want to use a curry paste because of the amount of sugar in them. This version has no sugar, so might not suit the purists, but honestly, we didn't miss it. I also added some non-Thai spinach, because, you know - veggies!
I shallot, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finally chopped
I red chilli (more if you want it very hot), deseeded and finely chopped
Desert spoon of coriander seeds, toasted then crushed
Teaspoon of paprika (ideally not smoked, it's really to add colour)
400 gms mixed fish, bones removed and flesh cut into 1 inch chunks - I used salmon, hake and cod or the bags of fish pie mix you often get in Tesco etc work well
Can of coconut milk (you can make this lower carb by putting the can in the fridge for a couple of hours so it separates, then draining off the liquid)
2 sticks lemon grass with the ends crushed (bash with rolling pin)
4 kaffir lime leaves
Juice and rind of an unwaxed lime
Desert spoon of fish sauce
Cup of chopped fresh coriander
1/2 a bag of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Tablespoon coconut oil for sautéing
- In a large frying pan, heat the coconut oil then sauté the shallot, chilli and garlic till soft
- Add the crushed coriander seeds and the paprika and cook for a few more minutes
- Add the fish, and gently mix it in with the spices and onions
- Add coconut milk. If you drained the watery part off, it will be solid, but it melts within a minute or so
- As soon as the coconut milk melts, add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice and rind and the fish sauce
6)Simmer gently for 15 minutes till the fish is cooked
- Remove the lime leaves and lemongrass stalks, and discard
- Stir through spinach and fresh coriander and simmer for a minute till spinach is soft.
- Serve with more green veggies and a sprinkling of fresh coriander