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Thai cod curry in a bowl.

Easy Thai Red Curry Fish Recipe with Cod


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5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Suwanee
  • Total Time: 15
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

This easy Thai red curry fish recipe with cod is a light and flavorful dish with aromatic spices and a creamy coconut base. Whether you're a seafood enthusiast, a Thai food lover, or want an easy and quick weeknight dinner, this recipe is it! Ready in 15 minutes!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound cod fish fillets. I bought mine frozen from Trader Joe's.
  • 2-2 1/2  tablespoons red curry paste. Adjust as needed for your level of spiciness  homemade red curry paste, or use store-bought for convenience
  • 1 can coconut milk, 14 ounces.
  • 1 1/4 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 3 ounces water chestnuts, sliced into bite-size pieces. 
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoon fish sauce. I used the squid brand, and it's saltier than most. Start small, then add more to adjust as needed.
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves, julienned
  • Thai basil. Optional. Italian basil works fine too.
  • Assorted vegetables.Optional. Use red bell pepper, green beans, snow peas, baby corn, bok choy, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts to add color and texture. 

Suggested fish to use

*Good quality fresh fish is best for cooking if you can get some. If not, frozen fish works fine too. Let the frozen fish thaw naturally without heating it is the best to help preserve texture and flavor. Any white fish like tilapia, bass, haddock, catfish, grouper, haddock, and snapper are excellent options for this recipe. Salon, mahi mahi, barramundi and basa and all great.


Instructions

  1. Add the top thick part of your coconut milk in a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. This is the coconut cream that's hardened slightly and has floated to the top of the can. This is the thickest and richest part of the coconut milk. We will reduce it to a thick coconut layer with slight bubbles in the cream. It's called coconut milk separation, where the oils are separated from the water during cooking. This breaking of oils and water process intensifies the flavors of the coconut cream used in curries.
  2. Add the red curry paste to the pan with the coconut milk and stir in to make a beautiful red/orange curry sauce. 
  3. Next, quickly add the sugar, fish sauce, kaffir leaves, and peppers to season the sauce. Stir well and lower Lower the temperature to medium heat. 
  4. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
  5. Add the Cod fillets, vegetable stock, and water chestnuts and stir. Bring the mixture to a simmer until the fish becomes tender and flaky but not overcooked. The cooking time for this fish recipe seafood is around  3-4 minutes only. Taste and season with more sugar, fish sauce, and kaffir lime leaves or sliced red peppers for extra heat. Feel free to add some vegetables during this step as well. See vegetable suggestions below.
  6. Turn the heat off, serve Thai Red Curry Fish with cod over jasmine or cauliflower rice, and garnish with additional Thai basil leaves and lime wedges.

Suggested vegetables to add to the curry

Toss in the assorted vegetables, including bell peppers, green beans, snow peas, sugar snap peas, baby corn, bok choy, an

Notes

  • Adjust the spice level of the curry by controlling the amount of red curry paste and chilies used.
  • Swap the Cod with tofu or a medley of seasonal vegetables for a vegetarian version.
  • Be cautious with fish sauce, as it can be pretty salty. Each brand is different, so taste the curry as you add it to avoid over-salting.
  • If you oversalt the curry, add a little sugar and water to help bring back some balance. A little bit of each until you are happy with the flavors.
  • If using curry paste, I recommend using Mae Ploy brand curry paste. They are sold in most Asian markets. 
  • In my recipes, my regular coconut milk is always a Thai brand with full-fat coconut milk and not the lite version or unsweetened coconut milk. I prefer Chao Koh or Aroy D for all my cooking. 

** Thank you so much for visiting my blog! This is truly a passion for me. If you have enjoyed these recipes and appreciate the hard work I put into them, I would love it if you would share them with your friends! Your recommendation is the highest review I could hope for, and I’d appreciate it! **

  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Category: curries, easy recipes
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Thai