Halibut in a Ginger, Lime and Coconut Curry

Recently I stumbled upon an incredible recipe by Patrick Jobon the French chef and owner of the beautiful Villa Deevena in Costa Rica. New York Times food writer, John Willoughby adapted the recipe and I’ve put own twist on it.

While I am happily ensconced in Montana right now, I can’t wait to try this recipe out of fresh caught grouper or Cobia when I’m back in Florida (hint, hint sister Ashley) and perhaps add some mango to the dish for brightness.

My version adds lime juice for acidity, eliminates the peas, and cilantro.

I doubled the amount of ginger and added shallots and almost 2 TBSP of the red curry paste to my sauce. Spice- yes!.

Do not add in globs of olive oil. Be precise about measuring especially with the vegetables. You want them crisp tender and not soggy from too much oil.

Other than finely chopping the vegetables into julienned strips, this dish comes together in a matter of minutes. Just sear the fish in oil or butter, add in the ginger, red curry and turmeric and warm up the coconut milk. Cream works fine as well. If you use coconut milk, do not it boil or it will split. A nice low simmer is all you need.

Enjoy!

Halibut in Sauce- serves 4

4 Halibut filets, skin removed – about 6 oz each- cod, grouper or cobia will work as well
kosher salt and black pepper
1 large leek, white and light green part only, cut into julienned strips
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
1 cup snow peas, strings removed and julienned.
5 tsp olive oil
2 TBSP fresh minced ginger
1 small shallot minced- about 2 TBSP
2 TBSP red curry paste
1 tsp turmeric
1 lime zested and 2 tsp juice lime
1 -13 oz can full fat coconut milk or heavy cream
Cooked basmati rice

Stress reliever cutting these little strips.

Remove those little strings, by pulling from the bottom up- the strings release nicely.

Method- Prep- 30 minutes, Cooking time 15 minutes

Prep the vegetables and set aside.
Season both sides of the fish with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp Olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Sear fish on each side until golden brown and just cooked through- about 2-3 minutes per side. Keep fish warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.
Heat 2 tsp of oil in the pan, Add CARROTS, first and sauté for 1 minute. Add in leeks and snow peas to the pan and sauté until crisp tender- about 3-4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
On low heat, add in the remaining 1 tsp of oil. Stir in the lime zest, shallot, half the curry paste, ginger and tumeric to the pan.
Cook stirring constantly to bloom the spices and the ginger. Pour in the coconut milk. Raise heat to medium and bring to a gentle simmer then cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes until sauce reduces by about one third.
Add the remaining curry paste if desired.
Add in the 2 tsp of lime juice .
Stir in the vegetables and heat until warmed through.
Serve in shallow bowls with sauce and vegetables spooned over the fish. Basmati rice would be a wonderful side dish for any extra sauce.