In-A-Hurry Fish Curry

Name: In-A-Hurry Fish Curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil or ghee (30 ml); 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (70 g/ 2.5 oz); 2 tbsp ginger, grated, about 2.5 cm/ 1 inch piece (12 g/ 0.4 a oz); 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp curry powder (mild or hot to preferred taste); 1 cup coconut cream (240 ml/ 8 fl oz); 1 cup prepared vegetable stock, fish stock or water (240 ml/ 8 fl oz); 2 medium tomatoes, chopped or ⅔ cup canned tomatoes (150 g/ 3.5 oz); 4 thick skinless fillets of firm white fish such as cod (600 g/ 1.3 lbs); Optional: freshly sliced red chillies, cilantro (coriander) and lime wedges, to serve

Dearna BondUpdated 9 October 2023★★★★★4.7 (275 ratings)

Ready in 25m
6.1 g net carbs
431 kcal
Serves 4

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In-A-Hurry Fish Curry (low-carb, paleo, grain-free)

A few years back, a friend cooked me the most amazing fish curry — soft fillets poached in a deliciously flavoured broth.

I asked for the recipe to make it myself, and was sent through a loooong email with many ingredients that even my well-stocked pantry didn’t have. Asides from the ingredient list, the method seemed a little convoluted, involving three pans, a blender, and a couple of hours effort. It may be delicious but we like to keep low-carb eating as simple as possible.

While I don’t mind putting in the hard yards to make delicious food, I also love my quick and easy staples, so I set about recreating the recipe using what I had on hand (except for the fish, obviously, though you could use frozen fillets here instead).

The result was not only super quick and easy, it was also delicious, and so this dish which we named ‘In-a-hurry fish curry’ became a staple low-carb weeknight meal that can be served with any keto-approved sides: cauliflower rice, shirataki rice, steamed or even roasted veggies.

To speed up the process even more, the curry sauce can be made ahead of time so that all you need to do to bring the meal together is heat it and poach the fish — 10 minutes later you’re ready to eat a satisfying low-carb dinner!

The recipe below makes four serves, though it can easily be halved, doubled or tripled to serve more. I like to serve it with some greens stir-fried in a little oil and garlic, and/or some cauli-rice. You could also skip the sides altogether and serve it as a nutritious low-carb soup.

Suggested side dish options:

cauliflower rice (plain cauli-rice or flavoured cauli-rice)
shirataki rice (here's how to prepare shirataki products)
steamed veggies such as green beans and broccoli
roasted veggies such as eggplants and zucchini

Step-by-step

Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown, around 5 minutes.
Add the tomato, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring for a further minute.
Add the curry powder, and cook, stirring, for a further minute until fragrant.
Slowly add the coconut cream and stock, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and cook around 5 to 7 minutes or until the tomatoes start to soften.
Cut the fish into 3 cm/ 1.2 inch pieces. Add the fish, and gently poach for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
Divide amongst bowls, and optionally top with fresh chilies, coriander and lime wedges to serve.
Serve immediately. To prep in advance, make the sauce and then store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days. On the day of cooking, bring the sauce to a simmer, and the fish and cook 6-8 minutes until cooked through.

Recipe