Coconut Fish Curry

Food Matters Main Meal Recipes

Serves: 2

Why it is good for you: 

Traditional curries can often leave you feeling tired and sluggish. We've swapped the darker meats for white fish or chickpeas and swapped coconut cream for coconut milk, for a fresh feel on a usually heavy dish. The blend of exotic spices stay consistent with traditional flavors.  

We encourage you to make your curry pastes from scratch as most store-bought curry pastes, although temptingly convenient, contain artificial additives, sugar, salt and processed oils.

Ingredients

(use organic ingredients where possible)

CURRY PASTE

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 lime (zest)

FISH OR CHICKPEA CURRY

• 1 lb (½ kg) mahi mahi or similar firm, wild-caught white fish, diced in 1-inch pieces (Vegetarian version - omit the fish and replace with 2 cups of cooked chickpeas, tinned or soaked and cooked)
• 1 x 14 oz (1 x 400 ml) can coconut milk
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ bunch cilantro (coriander), chopped for garnish
• ¼ lime
• 1 cup cooked rice (basmati or brown)

Directions

1. Melt coconut oil in a large pot, add onion and garlic and cook gently over a low heat until translucent.
2. Add remaining curry paste ingredients and cook, stirring regularly for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.
3. Add the fish and stir to coat well in the spices.
4. Add coconut milk and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
5. If making the vegetarian curry, add the chickpeas and coconut milk and stir through. Gently simmer for 4 minutes.
6. Serve immediately with a garnish of fresh cilantro leaves and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice.

VEGETARIAN VERSION*

Omit the fish and replace with cooked chickpeas.

NOTE*

• If you like a curry with rice, we recommend basmati rice because it has a lower glycemic index than all other white rice varieties. Steamed green beans go well with this, too. 
• Avoid using high mercury fish such as flake, swordfish and tuna.