Ready in just 30 minutes, this Pineapple Coconut Thai Fish Curry is rich, comforting, and packed full of chunks of white fish and fresh vegetables. Delicious for dinner or even leftover for lunch, even the kids will love the flavorful broth made even better with sweet pineapple.
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While traveling through Thailand with the husband for 6 weeks (a million) years ago, one of our favorite dishes was the Thai fish curry. Admittedly, I had no idea what the menu said at most of the little restaurants we ate at as we usually stayed away from westernized places. That said, our system was to just point and order. It was actually quite fun and always a surprise as we never really knew what we would get.
Unless, of course, those times that I NEEDED a plate of extra spicy pad Thai. On those days I would leave my husband to play the ordering game.
By the end of our Thailand adventure, we discovered a few things-
- Home cooked Thai food will NEVER taste as good as real, authentic, Thai street food.
- If I had to pick between Mexican food or Thai food to eat for the rest of my life I would probably pick Thai food.
- The flavors and spices used in Thai cooking range from incredibly complex to quite simple.
- The US standard of spicy is weak. Thai people know how to spice their food.
- Pad Thai, Thai Fish Curry, and Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Chicken Soup) are the most amazing foods on this planet. Along with every other Thai dish.
Now, I’ve had quite a few years since our travels to practice Thai cooking and I’ll admit, it’s not always easy. NOT because the actual cooking process is hard, but because we simply do not have several of the key ingredients readily available here in the states. As a result, I’ve compromised with excellent Thai food, but not THAILAND Thai food.
You know, the kind you get off the street. The good stuff.
Anyway, this Thai Fish Curry can be made one of two ways-
- With store-bought Thai curry paste, or
- Homemade Thai red curry paste.
At this stage in my life, I know which curry paste I’d be using and it definitely isn’t homemade (unless, of course, it’s to share with you guys). Making homemade isn’t hard, but, I have a lot of balls being juggled at the moment, so store-bought is cool with me.
Homemade, of course, tastes better and fresher, but let’s pick our battles.
Once you decide on which curry paste is best for you, this Thai Fish Curry really couldn’t be easier. No seriously, I can’t imagine it took me longer than 30 minutes to cook up this delicious looking dinner.
ONE HUGE TIP when making any Thai curry- always, ALWAYS use FULL-FAT coconut milk. Even better would be coconut milk cream, but please do not use the light stuff. Full-fat coconut milk is key to achieving the sought after Thai curry flavor. Low fat coconut milk simply dilutes the spices washing out all the awesome flavor.
On that note, who’s been to Thailand? What was your favorite dish?
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Ready in just 30 minutes, this Pineapple Coconut Thai Fish Curry is rich, comforting, and packed full of chunks of white fish and fresh vegetables. Delicious for dinner or even leftover for lunch, even the kids will love the flavorful broth made even better with sweet pineapple.
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 28 ounces canned, diced tomatoes with juice (2 cans)
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk (1 can)
- 1 lime juiced
- 4 4-ounce white fish filets (cod, mahi-mahi, tilapia)
- 2 cups baby bok choy
- 1 cup pineapple chopped
- chopped green onion, cilantro, sesame seeds to garnish
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Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil and onion to the skillet or wok and stir to combine. Sauté onions for 3-4 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Stir frequently.
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Add the minced garlic and ginger to the onions and sauté for 1 minute, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the red curry paste and curry powder. Cook, stirring continuously for 1 minute more.
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Add the diced tomatoes, red chili flakes, granulated sugar, and salt to the onions. Increase heat to high and mix well. Bring the curry to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Add the lime juice and coconut milk, mixing well to combine.
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Add the white fish pieces in the sauce, making sure they're covered with enough sauce to cook through fully. Cover and cook for approximately 10-12 minutes, stirring gently every 2-3 minutes.
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Once fish is fully cooked, add the bok choy and pineapple to the curry and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
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Remove from heat. Serve with rice and garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro, and sesame seeds, if desired.
- Nutrition facts do not include rice.
- You can use store-bought Thai red curry paste or make your own. Making your own is quite easy, but you will need a food processor (unless you want to use a mortar and pestle). Find my homemade red curry paste recipe HERE.
If you love this PINEAPPLE COCONUT THAI FISH CURRY, you may also enjoy-
Healthy Curried Kale and Cauliflower Turmeric Soup
