Thai Fish Curry

Thai fish curry is a 20-minute dinner recipe that tastes like a special treat. The fish is gently poached in a flavorful, coconut curry sauce that’s bursting with delicious Thai flavors. You’ll love it!

This Thai fish curry is so flavorful and cozy that it’s hard to believe how simple it is to make. The coconut milk curry sauce, infused with garlic, ginger, and curry paste, is rich and creamy, and gently simmering the fish right in the sauce keeps it perfectly tender and delicate.

In the photos, I used green beans, carrots, and red bell peppers, but this is one of those dinner recipes that happily adapts to whatever vegetables you have on hand. Broccoli, snap peas, zucchini, or spinach all work beautifully, so you can make it your own every time you cook it.

Can I use a different curry paste?

Yes! Any Thai curry paste will work in this recipe. While the flavor will vary slightly depending on whether you choose green, yellow, or red curry paste, the fish will be delicious no matter which you choose.

But if you’re after a Thai-flavored meal, avoid using curry powder, which is a blend of Indian spices and would dramatically change the flavor of this recipe.

What kind of fish is best for fish curry?

You can use any white fish in this recipe. I like lingcod, which is in the pictures, but many different kinds work well. Here are a few others to choose from:

• Cod
• Tilapia
• Haddock
• Grouper
• Rockfish
• Sole

Store and reheat

Fish curry will keep for 2 days in your fridge. Be very careful when reheating it and don’t let it come to a boil. You only want to warm the fish, not cook it further.

Tap stars to rate!

4.73 stars (239 ratings)

Thai Fish Curry Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

Rate Recipe Print

• Pin

Remove Ads

Thai fish curry is a 20 minute dinner recipe that tastes like a special treat. The fish is gently poached in a flavorful, coconut curry sauce that's bursting with delicious Thai flavors. You'll love it!

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ lb white fish
• ▢ 3 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (divided)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• ▢ ½ medium onion (finely minced)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• ▢ 15 ounce can coconut milk
• ▢ ½ cup water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut sugar ( or brown sugar)
• ▢ 4 cups chopped veggies (pictured are green beans, carrots, and red bell peppers)
• ▢ Minced cilantro and lime juice (to serve)

Instructions 

• Cut the fish into pieces about 2-inches wide. Dry the fish with a paper towel then rub 1 tablespoon of the curry paste over the pieces.
  1 ½ lb white fish
  
• Heat the oil in a large pot (I like to use my braiser) over medium-high heat. (See notes.) Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of curry paste, coconut milk, water, fish sauce, and sugar. Add the veggies and bring the pot to a boil.
  2 tablespoons coconut oil, ½ medium onion, 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 15 ounce can coconut milk, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, 4 cups chopped veggies
  
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the fish. Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes, or until the fish is no longer opaque. If your fish is quite thick, you may need to flip the pieces over and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
  
• Serve with a little minced cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.
  Minced cilantro and lime juice
  

Equipment Used

braiser

Chef's Knife

Wooden Spoon

Measuring Spoons

Video

Notes

A braiser works great for this recipe. But if you don’t have one, simply use your biggest pot so that you don’t have to stack the pieces of fish on top of each other. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 573kcal (29%), Carbohydrates: 25g (8%), Protein: 39g (78%), Fat: 38g (58%), Saturated Fat: 31g (194%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 85mg (28%), Sodium: 556mg (24%), Potassium: 1278mg (37%), Fiber: 7g (29%), Sugar: 14g (16%), Vitamin A: 23157IU (463%), Vitamin C: 14mg (17%), Calcium: 104mg (10%), Iron: 4mg (22%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

Popular Thai-influenced recipes

4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Thai Coconut Chicken Curry (made in your slow cooker)

25 minutes mins

Thai Coconut Turkey Soup

1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Thai Chicken Wings

20 minutes mins

Coconut Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup