Halibut with Thai-Style Curry Broth
This poached halibut in coconut curry broth is light, but complex in flavor. This is not a traditional thick curry, but a wonderfully delicate and flavorful broth that will leave you wanting it again.
Don’t be fooled by the lite curry broth. This dish is refined and packed with layers of flavor. Served over sautéed spinach and accompanied with jasmine rice, this is a perfect main course for any healthy lunch or dinner. The sauce can be made ahead, making it perfect for entertaining. Want to read more about this blog?
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/21/22
HALIBUT WITH THAI-STYLE CURRY BROTH
Ingredients
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, finely chop shallots and garlic. Using the edge of a metal spoon, scrape skin off ginger root and slice thinly, then finely chop.
- Heat vegetable oil in a 5 quart sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallots and ginger and cook until translucent and tender, stirring occasionally with a heat resistant spatula. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir in red curry paste to combine, cooking until fragrant (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
- Add white wine to deglaze pan and stir until reduced (almost evaporated, but not dried out). Add chicken broth, lite coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, and only ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by one third (about 5 to 7 minutes). (See Notes section for make ahead preparation)
- Chop ½ cup fresh cilantro, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish. Set aside.
- Dry 4 halibut filets (skinless and de-boned) with paper towels. Season halibut filets with ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt.
- Carefully place seasoned halibut into simmering sauce in a single layer and spoon sauce over the filets. Bring to a low simmer, cover, and cook until filets are almost cooked through (about 5-6 minutes), spooning sauce over fish every few minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow the fish to sit in the sauce for about 1 minute (to continue to cook), while you plate the rest of your meal.
- To plate, place steamed or sautéed spinach (see Notes section) in center of a shallow bowl. With a non-stick spatula turner, place fish over spinach.
- Place sauté pan back on medium heat and quickly bring to low simmer. Add most of the chopped cilantro to sauce and stir for about 15 seconds. To serve, ladle sauce over and around fish and garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a lime wedge.
Notes
- For Make Ahead Preparation: Complete through Step 3 of Sauce Instructions and allow sauce to cool completely. Cover sauté pan and refrigerate overnight, or until ready to use. Reheat sauce in sauté pan on low and slowly bring to a simmer and continue with Step 1 of Fish Instructions.
- We encourage you to try the recipe, as is. However, if you want a more robust sauce, you can add ½ teaspoon Low Sodium Chicken Better than Bouillon and replace lite coconut milk with only 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk. Either way, use canned coconut milk.
- Try out our recipe for Simple Sautéed Spinach (coming soon) and begin preparing immediately after you season the halibut filets (Step 2 of Fish Instructions). It will take approximately 5 to 7 minutes to cook the spinach. Since halibut can easily overcook and become dry, timing is especially important. Just a few seconds can make all the difference between a delicious moist fish, and one that is dry and chewy.
- Serve with steamed brown rice or white jasmine rice, which is perfect to soak up some of this flavorful sauce. Try our recipe for Quick Cilantro Lime Rice (coming soon).
Nutrition Facts
Calories
315.12Fat (grams)
8.30Sat. Fat (grams)
4.12Carbs (grams)
10.75Fiber (grams)
1.39Net carbs
9.37Sugar (grams)
2.64Protein (grams)
41.84Sodium (milligrams)
693.62Cholesterol (grams)
70.00Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Sauce
STEP 1
Prepare shallots, ginger and garlic.
a) With a sharp knife, finely chop ½ cup shallots.
b) With the edge of a metal spoon, scrape skin off the ginger root.
c) Thinly slice ginger root.
d) Finely chop 2 tablespoons of ginger.
e) Chop 2 teaspoons of garlic cloves, and set aside chopped shallots, ginger, and garlic.
STEP 2
Heat ½ tablespoon vegetable oil in a 5 quart sauté pan over medium heat. Add ½ cup finely chopped shallots and 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger and stir.
a) Sauté until translucent and tender (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally with a heat resistant spatula.
b) Add 2 teaspoons chopped garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add curry paste and stir to combine, cooking until fragrant (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
c) Add curry paste and stir to combine.
d) Once shallots are coated with curry, cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
STEP 3
Carefully add ½ cup dry white wine to deglaze pan.
a) With a heat resistant spatula, stir and scrape the bottom and sides of pan to deglaze pan with wine.
b) Continue to stir until reduced (almost evaporated, but not dried out).
c) Add 2 cups low sodium chicken broth, 1 cup lite coconut milk, ¾ teaspoon fish sauce, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, and ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, and stir to combine.
d) Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by one third (about 5 to 7 minutes).
For Make Ahead Preparation: Complete Steps 1 to 3 of Sauce Instructions and allow sauce to cool completely. Cover sauté pan and refrigerate overnight, or until ready to use. When ready, reheat on low and slowly bring to a simmer and continue with Step 2 of Fish Instructions.
Fish
STEP 1
Chop ½ cup fresh cilantro, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish. Set aside.
STEP 2
Dry 4 halibut filets (skinless and de-boned) with paper towels. Season halibut filets with ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt.
Note: If you are serving with a side dish, begin preparing spinach now. It will take approximately 5 to 7 minutes to prepare your spinach (link to spinach recipe in Notes section). Since halibut can easily overcook and become dry, timing is especially important. Just a few seconds can make all the difference between a delicious moist fish, and one that is dry and chewy.
STEP 3
Sauce should be simmering on medium-low or medium heat.
a) Carefully place seasoned halibut filets into simmering sauce in a single layer and spoon sauce over halibut filets. Bring to a low simmer, cover, and cook until filets are almost cooked through (about 5-6 minutes), spooning sauce over fish every few minutes during cooking. (See note below for timing of side dish)
b) Check after 3-4 minutes and spoon more sauce over fish.
c) Check after 5-6 minutes and test firmness with the side of spatula and then spoon more sauce over fish. Fish should be white, opaque and somewhat firm (but with a slight tenderness). When fish is almost done, remove pan from heat and allow the filets to sit in the sauce for about 1 minute (they will continue to cook), while you plate the rest of your meal.
STEP 4a
Place steamed or sautéed spinach in center of a shallow bowl.
STEP 4b
With a non-stick spatula turner, place filets over spinach.
STEP 5
Place sauté pan back on medium heat and quickly bring to low simmer. Add most of the chopped cilantro to sauce and stir for about 15 seconds and remove from heat.
To serve, ladle sauce over and around fish and garnish each plate with reserved chopped cilantro (1 tablespoon), a squeeze of lime, and a lime wedge.
Notes:
Recipe can be made ahead (through Step 3 of Sauce Instructions). When ready to serve, reheat sauce in sauté pan on low and slowly bring to a simmer and continue with Step 2 of Fish Instructions.
We encourage you to try the recipe, as is. However, if you want a more robust sauce, you can add ½ teaspoon Low Sodium Chicken Better than Bouillon and replace lite coconut milk with only 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk. Either way, use canned coconut milk.
Try out our recipe for Simple Sautéed Spinach (coming soon) and begin preparing immediately after you season the halibut filets (Step 2 of Fish Instructions). It will take approximately 5 to 7 minutes to prepare the spinach. Since halibut can easily overcook and become dry, timing is especially important. Just a few seconds can make all the difference between a delicious moist fish, and one that is dry and chewy.
Serve with steamed brown rice or white jasmine rice as a wonderful accompaniment to this dish. Rice is perfect to soak up some of this flavorful sauce. Try our recipe for Quick Cilantro Lime Rice (coming soon).
SNEAK PEEK VIDEO
Halibut with Thai Style Curry Broth - How did we make this recipe?
Blog Review
A delicate and flavorful halibut recipe!
A few months ago, I was planning on having a friend over for her birthday and wanted to serve something special. She had been on a keto diet for a couple of years, so it was important to keep both her dietary restrictions and ours in mind. She loves curry and Thai food, so I was inspired to find a recipe that fit all our dietary needs. Because it was summer time, a heavy curry would not have worked, so I searched for a light broth recipe.
We had wild caught Alaskan halibut in the freezer (fresh frozen, caught while on a fishing trip in Alaska) and it was just enough for all of us. After pouring through a few similar recipes, they all seemed too bland or too rich. So, the PMR Kitchens came up with this Halibut with Thai-Style Curry Broth recipe, which has been a hit every time I’ve made it.
When you set your table, don’t forget the spoons. Your guests will likely want to lap up every bit of this sauce!
Instead of using full fat coconut milk, we used lite coconut milk, which has much less fat. We settled on adding a few more flavor profiles to the original recipes I found and Voilà…this Halibut with Thai-Style Curry Broth recipe was born!
Halibut is a great source of selenium, which has many health benefits. This fish is also rich in niacin, which is important for your heart health. Packed with 42 grams of protein per serving, this recipe was the perfect choice for my friend on keto and my husband and I, who were trying to follow healthier and clean eating habits. This main dish is also gluten-free and dairy-free, which makes it the perfect recipe to cook for guests with a variety of dietary restrictions. Or, if you are looking for a recipe that is quick enough to whip up as a weeknight meal, this is the one!
Healthy food does not need to be flavorless. This halibut has has so many layers of flavor, yet is so refined and elegant. This recipe is also surprisingly easy and the sauce can be made ahead (my favorite kind of recipe for entertaining!).
Enjoy and let us know what you think!
Mich
Footnote: Halibut overcooks easily, so test the firmness of your fish as it’s cooking to avoid ending up with a dry and almost chewy fish.
Adapted from the Food Network recipe by Ellie Krieger, we’ve taken this recipe and kicked it up a few notches to make it extra delicious.
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