Wild Halibut Curry
Guess what? Wild halibut is on sale....so I got Halibut and have no idea what dish I could make for my dinner. And I feel thankful when I live in this era with Internet, Google, and Youtube. After a few searches on Google, I found some ideas: Thai Shrimp Halibut Curry, PanSeared Halibut with Lemon Caper Sauce, and Halibut Confit with Leeks, Coriander, and Lemon.
Okay, it's time to make decision. Hmmm.....all of them look very good....but I can try only one for tonight. I sent them to my big fat belly and he picked Thai Shrimp Halibut Curry without shrimp and with rice. He was asking too much right? Don't tell him, please; otherwise, he may ask much more next time :D. Sure, it's fine. Now, I need to check my veggie stock in my fridge: no bell pepper...Okay fine, I make my own curry version. And at the end, it turned out yummy....
Get set....cook...
First, get out all ingredients for my curry version: garlic, ginger, curry powder, ground coriander, ground black pepper, red sweet cherry pepper (as a substitute for red bell pepper), yellow onion, coconut milk, carrot, broccoli, green beans, lemon grass, shallots.
Before making the curry. I started making rice so that it has enough time to cook and rest (for me, it tastes better and the rice will not be sticked at the bottom of the rice cooker).
Next, make the curry paste (if you have curry paste, you can skip this step). I blended curry powder, ground coriander, red pepper, ginger, onion, garlic with some coconut milk to make curry paste.
Before starting cooking, you should wash and cut/slice your veggie and set aside since everything will be cooked very fast, you don't have time to prepare it during the cooking time.
Now, it's time to make a delicious dish for yourselves and your loved ones. Trust me, I never follow a recipe completely :). What brings my recipe different with the one I read...it's yogurt and whipping cream. Instead of using lime juice, I used yogurt since I found it can create the sourness flavor and it also create thickness for the curry. If you don't like yogurt, just use lime juice and adjust the taste by your own way. Why did I use whipping cream? Because the coconut milk I used doesn't bring enough creamy flavor to me, so I added a little bit of whipping cream. The order of cooking ingredients also makes the dish different. My strategy is add things take long time to cook first then other things so carrot is first, then fish, broccoli, and the last is green bean. And of course, you should add curry paste and lemon grass first and coconut milk, yogurt, and whipping cream are the last thing you should add.
Don't let you wait more. Follow me for a detailed recipe and steps to make a yummy dinner. I'm so sorry I don't have an image for you since it was too delicious and I forgot to take a picture :(
Ingredients (to make 3 servings)
- 1/4tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 ground black/white pepper
- 1 small ginger (maybe 1tsp minced ginger)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp chopped onion
- 1 can coconut milk (I used organic coconut milk at trader joe's)
- 3 red sweet cherry peppers
- 1 thai hot chili (optional)
- 3 small carrots
- 1 broccoli
- 1 handful of green beans
- 1 stalk lemon grass
- 1 shallot
- and of course, 1 lb halibut fillet.....
- 2 tbsp whipping cream
- 2 tbsp yogurt (or lime juice)
- 1 cup of water
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tbsp cooking oil (I used organic grape seed oil)
- coriander for garnish
- Other veggies at your choice
Tools you need:
- Knife
- cutting board
- a soup pot
- a blender
Steps:
(Remember to make rice before you start making the curry if you serve this dish with rice)
1. Wash ingredients which need to be washed :) (don't wash curry powder, ground cumin :P)
2. Blend curry powder, ground coriander, onion, garlic, red cherry pepper, hot thai chili, ginger, black pepper, and a little bit of coconut milk (it's cold now so that coconut milk in the can separate into thick coconut milk and white water, I used the white water for this step) to make curry paste and set aside
3. Mince the shallot.
4. Use the back of your knife to shop the lemon grass. It will help all lemon grass flavor come out. Then cut the lemon grass into 5cm length.
5. Chop the carrot, green beans, and broccoli.
6. Heat a soup pot on medium heat, add oil when the pot is hot. Add minced shallot and lemon to the hot oil, stir it until fragrant smell, then add carrot, stir few minutes then add curry paste at step 2, water, chicken bouillon, fish sauce, sugar. Bring it to boil.
7. Add halibut. Bring it to boil and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
8. Add broccoli and green bean. Bring it to boil and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the veggie is almost cooked
9. Add coconut milk, yogurt, whipping cream. Bring it to boil and taste it. Add more salt if needed.
10. It's time to enjoy. You can use a plate to serve it. Add rice one side then add curry on the other side of the plate. Place the fish 1/3 on the rice and 2/3 on the curry sauce, add chopped coriander and some
Hope you enjoy the recipe as I and my big fat belly did :) And come back for my next recipe.