Green Curry Paste for Fish

One of the fun things about eating in a Thai restaurant with family or friends is picking several different types of curry dishes from the menu for all to enjoy. A choice of vegetables, meats, chicken, fish or tofu may be paired with the options of yellow, green, red, Massaman or Panang style curry pastes as the base for the dish. Here is my recipe for making green curry paste that perfectly complements fish and captures the fabulous flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine. Enjoy!
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Ingredients for curry paste

• 1 T coriander seeds
• 1 T cumin seeds
• ½ tsp white pepper seeds
• ½ to 1 tsp shrimp paste
• (pre-roasted)
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 2” piece of galangal root
• 1” piece ginger root

• 2 tsp salt
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 3 large shallots
• 2 oz cilantro
• (chopped stems only)
• 5 fresh green Thai chili peppers

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Curry paste preparation

Pan fry the coriander, cumin, and white pepper seeds in a heavy pan (without oil) on medium heat until they begin to smoke. Put on goggles or glasses to protect the eyes before using the mortar and pestle. Place the roasted seeds into the mortar and pulverize them with a pestle. Put in the rest of the ingredients one-by-one in the order in the order listed below, and pulverize each with the pestle before adding the next one:

1. shrimp paste
2. lemongrass
3. galangal
4. ginger​

5. shallots
6. cilantro
7. salt
8. Thai chili peppers​
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Ingredients for curried fish (6 servings)

• 1½ lbs fish (Chilean sea bass or true cod)
• ¼ cup each spelt, tapioca, & all purpose flours
• 5 T green curry paste
• 10 kaffir limes leaves
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 oz green beans, cut into ½” rounds
• 2 oz Vietnamese spinach (Mong Toi), cut into 1” pieces
• 1 small bell pepper, chopped
• 2 oz Thai basil leaves

• 2 cans (13.5 oz each) coconut milk
• 1 cup liquid (fish broth, chicken broth, or water)
• 2 oz chayote squash, cubed
• 2 oz okra, cut into ½” rounds
• 2 oz Asian eggplant (green, small, round shape of about 1¼” diameter), diced
• 2 oz cilantro (just the leaves for garnish)
• 6 T vegetable oil
• Salt, pepper, sugar to taste

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Cooking fish with green curry paste

​First rinse the fish and rub it with lime juice. Next season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the spelt, tapioca, and all purpose flours together in a shallow bowl, then coat the fish with the flour mixture. Heat about 4 tablespoons of vegetable in a frying pan over medium heat until it is hot. Add the battered fish and fry it until it is golden brown. (The center does not have to be fully cooked.) Set aside the fried fish.

Using a clean stainless steel pan or wok, cook the green curry paste until it changes color from light green to dark green. Next place the solid part of the coconut milk along with the kaffir lime leaves into the wok and fry until the fat separates from the mixture. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and fish broth and bring to a boil. Continue to reduce the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency to suit your palette, ranging from syrupy to thick.

Place in all of the cut vegetables and turn the heat up to high. When the vegetables are almost cooked (2 to 5 minutes) put in the fish and bring the curry back to a boil just before serving. Place the curried fish in a serving platter and garnish it with cilantro leaves.