thai style halibut

Recently I picked up some beautiful halibut and once at home started looking for a recipe to try. This can be a bit of a challenge when home is 30 minutes away from any grocery store. I live in a city where my large grocery store is less than 10 minutes away. (My son says I should clarify that I am not at home right now.) So, I went to the internet, checked a few sites and came up with something that looked good. I had most of the ingredients called for. This is the recipe as I found it on the Fine Cooking website and makes 2 servings.

Thai-Style Halibut and Banana Curry with Peanuts

1 cup well-shaken canned coconut milk (not light)

1 Tbs. Thai red curry paste

12 oz. skinless halibut fillet, 1-1/2 inches thick, cut into 2 pieces

Kosher salt

1 medium lime, zest finely grated, halved

3 med. scallions, thinly sliced (keep white & green parts separate)

1 very large barely ripe banana, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch half-moons

2 Tbs. chopped salted roasted peanuts

1/2 cup lightly packed chopped fresh cilantro

In a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan, whisk the coconut milk and curry paste until smooth. Sprinkle the fish with 1/2 tsp. salt; then sprinkle with the lime zest. Squeeze a lime half over the fish.

Bring the coconut-curry mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and then arrange the fillets in the pan, skinned side down. Add the white parts of the scallions, cover the pan, and simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for 2 minutes. Add the bananas and half of the peanuts to the sauce. Sprinkle half of the cilantro over the top. Cover the pan and continue to simmer until the fish flakes easily but is slightly translucent rather than fully opaque at the very center (check with a paring knife), 2 to 4 minutes. Squeeze the remaining lime half over the fish. Top with the scallion greens and the remaining peanuts and cilantro, and serve.

I made a few changes. I doubled the amount of fish and most of the other ingredients. I forgot to cut the halibut before cooking so it took longer to finish, but I’ll remember next time. The fish in the photo was cut into 4 pieces after cooking, before serving. I recommend “Mae Ploy” brand Thai red curry paste, and don’t be skimpy with it. I didn’t have any scallions (green onions) so I used a bit of chopped yellow onion. I skipped the cilantro. I never just “have it on hand” because I don’t like it. This was served with black rice and steamed dragon kale. The fish and the sauce were unbelievably delicious. I almost hesitate to post this recipe before I’ve had a chance to impress my friends with it, but that’s the kind of person I am – always willing to share. Of course, I also don’t think my friends will read this and immediately make it. I’m not even sure they will read this.

Honestly – it’s almost criminal how easy this dish is to prepare. Once you have the ingredients ready, it goes together in minutes.