Monday, October 18, 2010

Fish curry with kabocha squash

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Green fish curry with kabocha squash
Most of the fish my family eats comes from our local Costco. There is an excellent fish market a few miles away called Santa Monica Seafood, but it moved recently to a new location with inadequate parking, and it's no longer on my way home from work. Unfortunately, that means I rarely get there.

I've been pretty pleased with Costco's selection and quality. They often have wild salmon or steelhead. My husband likes the Dover sole. We also buy the large trays of tilapia filets, which I like because they're versatile. Sometimes I flour and pan-fry them, but because they're firm and meaty, often I include them in a stew or soup, like this green fish curry.

My eight-year-old wouldn't eat it, but I've given up trying to please him. He's going through a picky period and often prefers a bowl of cereal or a toasted cheese sandwich to whatever I've made for dinner. His loss. More for us.

Note: I use a bottled green curry paste I bought at an Indian grocery store. It's different from a thai green curry paste - it's got more fresh herbs (cilantro, mint) and less ginger. I must apologize: I can't remember the brand, threw away the jar and can't find any similar products online to which to link. However, it's relatively easy to make your own - just put cilantro, fresh mint, garlic, ginger, a jalapeno, some olive oil, and lemon or lime juice in the mini-chopper, and that's a pretty good approximation.

Fish curry with kabocha squash
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (any color; I used part red and part orange)
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 Tbsp Indian green curry paste
  • 1/2 kabocha squash, seeded and diced (leave skin on)
  • 2 lbs tilapia filets
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (4-5 large limes)
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil, cilantro or mint, or a combination
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, just until you start to smell the garlic. Immediately add the coconut milk, water and curry paste; stir to combine. Add the kabocha squash, bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook covered about 15 minutes, until the squash is tender.

Add the tilapia filets to the liquid, cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, until the fish is tender and flakes easily. Stir in the lime juice and chopped herbs. Serve immediately over rice.

6 comments:

Monet said...

I love cooking fish with coconut milk. I just discovered the stuff a few months ago, and it adds such complexity and flavor. Thank you for sharing Erika, and like I said, thank you for your words of support during this time.

Lynne@CookandBeMerry.com said...

Coconut milk and curry paste can make some amazing dishes. Your recipe looks really tasty. Fish, squash and lime juice. What could be better. Yum.

marla {family fresh cooking} said...

Your fish curry sounds great. I love any sauce with coconut. Costco does have excellent fish selections- -sometimes I even find it fresher than Santa Monica Seafood. just sayin'

Erika Kerekes said...

@Monet - I only started using coconut milk in the past few years too, and I adore it.

@Lynne - there's a decent Indian grocery store in west LA, on Venice just east of Overland. If you don't feel like going all the way to Artesia, it's good to know about the local haunts. I've picked up many a jar of curry paste there, all kinds, and I use them often.

@Marla - there's a Santa Monica Seafood in Orange County?

Christine said...

this looks delicious! and, as a person with multiple food allergies, I am super stoked that I won't have to substitute anything!

Erika Kerekes said...

@Christine - glad it's to your taste! What kinds of food allergies? Maybe I can suggest other recipes that work within your boundaries.

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