Thai Fish Curry
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
Thai fish curry
This Thai fish curry is so flavorful and cozy that it's hard to believe it's a simple recipe.
The coconut milk curry sauce with garlic, ginger, and curry paste is creamy and flavorful. And ever so gently simmering the fish keeps it tender and delicate.
How to make this Thai fish curry recipe
Thai fish curry is so easy to make! Here's what you're going to do:
- Saute onions, garlic, and ginger for big-time flavor.
- Now create the sauce by adding coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce (stinky but tasty!), a little coconut sugar.
- Now some chopped veggies go into the pot to cook for a few minutes.
- Add the fish last as it cooks very quickly.
That's it! You've just made Thai fish curry!
Can I use a different curry paste?
Yes! Any kind of Thai curry paste will work in this recipe. While the flavor will change slightly depending on whether you choose green, yellow, or red curry paste, the fish will be delicious no matter what.
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?
Any kind of white fish works great in this recipe. We like lingcod, which is in the pictures, but there are many different kinds that work well. Here are a few others to choose from:
- Cod
- Tilapia
- Haddock
- Grouper
- Rockfish
- Sole
How long does Thai fish curry last?
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 more.
Can I freeze this recipe?
Cooked fish does not freeze very well as it becomes tough when reheated. While it is possible to freeze fish curry, it won't be as good as it is fresh.
Only freeze fish curry in a pinch, or if you don't mind fish that's a bit tough.
Thai Fish Curry Recipe
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
Last step:
- After you make this recipe, take a picture with your phone and share it in the comments section below. I love seeing it when you make my recipes!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Thanks so much. I just found your blog and this terrific, easy take on Thai curry! Catfish was on sale and what we used – for me, the texture of the fish was a real plus. No decent green beans at the store, so subbed in baby bok choy—the curry is tasty enough to accommodate substitutions. Will def make it again, adding in some Thai basil.
I look forward to seeing more of your recipes.
Welcome! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my recipe!
I added chickpeas and chopped fresh spinach. Yum.
Great add in ideas!
This was delicious! Will make this often!
It looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Karen!
My Husband loves a Curry, loves Fish, this was an absolute winner for him… We love cooking together and as a team effort it was fabulous! The recipe didn’t call for Salt and Peps but l put it in and pleased that l did, otherwise could have been a bit bland. We like it spicy so put in more red curry paste and took it to the next level!…. Loved it… Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re very welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
First time trying Thai Curry Fish, the recipe easy to follow and I love it great flavor.
It looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing!!
Really good! First time trying to make Thai curry. Pretty easy and delish. Thanks for the recipe!
SO happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Hi! I want to make this for a potluck dish. Can I make this ahead of time and put in a crock pot to keep warm. I do this with coconut chicken curry, but I have never made a fish curry. I will probably triple the recipe!
Yes I think that will work well!
This was quite possibly the LEAST flavorful curry I have ever tried. It took so much tweaking, it wasn’t worth it. Curry is an explosion of flavor and this was a plate of milk. On the upside- the times were perfect, the fish was well cooked and flaky. But again-ridiculously plain.
Most of the flavor comes from the curry paste, and some are (unfortunately) not very flavorful. I always use Mae Jin which has tons of flavor.
We use Mae Ploy for this recipe and it is perfect every time!
That really is the best Thai curry paste I’ve found here in North America!
WARNING thai red curry can be spicy!
Yes it can!
Loved this. I used the whole jar of Thai curry and left out the water. Added a whole onion and few mushrooms as well. Delicious.
Sounds wonderful!
This was a super tasty meal. Thanks for setting us up for success with your step by step recipe. Our veggie choices were different and so delicious – sweet potato, asparagus and mushrooms – wow, excellent. Upped the curry amounts and added one cup of veggie broth for more liquid to cook off.
Thanks
The veggies you used sound fantastic!
Made this recipe tonight. Simple steps and ingredients. However, way too watery. I thickened with corn starch, then let it simmer for about 15 minutes, then added the fish. I turned the heat to low, barely a bubble in the pot and cooked the fish to a nice, white color, about 10 minutes. I also added another 2 tablespoons of the Tai paste. Good to go. Wife loved it!
Very tasty. The folks who are saying it wasn’t very flavorful probably did not add enough salt, which ingredient is not listed but which is certainly needed.
We liked the recipe, I just needed more spice. So I added more thai paste, lemongrass and more ginger and a little heat from sweet thai chili sauce. It was a hit!!
I’m so happy it was a hit!
My son and I made this exactly as detailed. Honestly, something is lacking. We added more ginger, curry paste, etc and it was still really odd. We’re guessing too much fish sauce. Maybe basil instead of cilantro? Not great. Would not make again.
Hi Pamela. The majority of the flavor in this curry comes from the curry paste, and unfortunately, in North America there are many brands that are not very flavorful. My suggestion is to look for a brand that is made in Thailand – that has always worked for me.
Delicious recipe and easy to follow 😋
Thanks, Norma!