Thursday, March 12, 2009

Halibut with Coconut Red Curry & Garlic Lacinato Kale

There's a little game we I play in our house and it goes a little something like this:
ME: Honey?! Did you eat any of these cookies/biscotti/Wheat Thins/dessert?
HUBBY: Uh, no.
ME: But, uh. they're almost all gone! Surely I didn't eat these ALL by myself. You had to have had at least one, right? I mean, really. I couldn't have finished a whole batch....
HUBBY: Well,ok. Maybe I had one. Oh, uh...I mean two?
Me: (silence) {...look of horror takes over my face}.
HUBBY: Wait, maybe I had more than that. Don't you worry, babe. I ate a lot. (little white lie told by my spouse to prevent annoying "Am i getting fat?" questions).

Coconut Red Curry Halibut
It's wonderful having someone around to tell itsy-bitsy-little white lies just to make you feel better about your crazy appetite. It's really wonderful, actually, until I had to change my outfit before work because the pants I had put on were a little too tight. Not so wonderful.


Curry Halibut with KaleOn to happier things, this tasty dish isn't exactly low fat, but it tastes light and is quite healthy nonetheless. Flaky & mild halibut works well with a flavorful red curry coconut sauce. I paired the halibut with sweet brown rice, a thick & sticky version of the brown rice you're probably used to. Being so thick, the rice may have overpowered the sauce a little bit and next time I'd try this with Jasmine rice and add a little somethin' somethin' to the sauce to give it a kick.


Curry Halibut
Lastly, I cooked Garlic Lacinato Kale as our side. I cannot begin to tell you how much we love this veggie. Unlike curly kale, Lacinato kale has flat broad leaves and looks a little bit like something a Triceratops would eat. It's huge. We called it dinosaur food the first time we bought it and later found out that it's also sometimes called Dino Kale. Gosh, we're observant.

Coconut Red Curry Halibut
adapted from Cooking Light

canola oil
4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season halibut with salt & fresh ground pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; cover with foil to keep warm.

2. Add additional oil to pan. Add onion. Sauté 2 minutes. Add green onions, and ginger; sauté 2 additional minutes. Stir in coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, red curry paste & coriander. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and juice.

Garlic Lacinato Kale

bunch of Lacinato Kale
1 large garlic clove
Kosher salt
olive oil

Rinse kale thoroughly. Strip leaves from the middle stem. Tear into smaller pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add kale and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Stir a few times, and allow to cook down slightly. Add garlic cloves and stir until garlic is fragrant. Add a teaspoon of water to the pan. Cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for about 2 minutes.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! This looks amazing! You are really good at taking pictures! Do you have a background in photography? I also love the way you write. Nice blog. I am going to try this recipe this week with Mahi Mahi.

Amy said...

Wow. This sounds totally incredible. I love lacinato kale too!

Anonymous said...

Great recipe! Looks fabulous!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

LOOOOOVE curry sauce and kale!!

Jennifer said...

I just bought some Halibut yesterday, this recipe is calling it's name!

RecipeGirl said...

Halibut is a big fave of ours- great to find a new recipe. Can you believe I've never, ever tried Kale? Gotta get some & try it out.

Anonymous said...

The halibut looks fantastic! Kale is a great side, and the whole meal must have been delicious.

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

You are funny. The changing of the pants happens to me too:) Love the way this fish looks. I am a fish lover and always looking for new recipes. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Oh this looks fabulous. I love curry sauces, red or green, with coconut milk. Everything on this plate is making my mouth water!

jesse said...

That is hilarious!!! I need to retrain my male friends!

Anonymous said...

I am laughing so hard because I know a guy would totally do say that to avoid the questions! Hilarious. I baked something yesterday and I ate the whole thing myself...I was sick and didn't eat dinner.

The halibut is awesome! My favorite fish.

Mo said...

We must have similar tastes, as I dog eared this recipe in Cooking Light as well.

Your presentation is amazing -great job!

Unknown said...

this looks absolutely fabulous!!

Esi said...

This is a gorgeous dish! Halibut is one of my faves, but I never cook with it myself. I wish I someone to tell me nice things like "of course you're not fat" :)

Dewi said...

Delicious, and mouth watering recipe. Ah, ya... we have the same conversation about why the cookies disappear in my house.
Cheers,
elra

Anonymous said...

Great halibut recipe! I find that fish a little bland on its own, but with the ingredients you used it must taste really good. Saving it:)

Sophie said...

Ha! That game you play sounds like the one I play too ;), just did it this afternoon actually :D.

Yum, I looove that you have so many delicious sea food recipes! They are so inspiring, I'll need to try this too!

MrOrph said...

That's funny! I don't have to do that `cause my wife is thin as a rail; great metabolism and I'm jealous. But I totally understand.

Now that fish dish looks amazing. I love the sauce.

The Blonde Duck said...

I LOVE halibut. It's so good.

I totally get what you mean about the cookies. I have to either throw stuff out, freeze it or hide it on top of the cabinet so I make tons of noise taking it down. It's really sad.

grace said...

hee--i love the dialogue...and the dish. ain't nothin' wrong with a little fib now and then. :)

Anonymous said...

That dish looks really good!

I hardly ever make fish because I don't know what to prepare. I'll bookmark this to try!

Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Snooky doodle said...

what a nice dish :) nice photos too .

MaryBeth said...

WOW..this is a very impressive meal, it looks award winning!!

test it comm said...

That halibut curry looks really good!

Chef Fresco said...

This dish sounds so delicious! I just recently started cooking w. kale and love it. We're going to have to try this one for sure!

Elyse said...

This dish looks amazing--what a beautiful presentation! I can't wait to try this out. I'm a huge curry and halibut fan, so this is the perfect combo, and that kale sounds delicious! Thanks for your comments on my blog--it led me to yours! I'm a follower now! YAY!

Maria said...

That is a good looking meal. I love everything involved!

La Bella Cooks said...

Halibut is one of my favorites and I can imagine the curry is a perfect compliment. Looks gorgeous as well.

Mai Mai said...

I really love your recipes. I hope you don't mind if I add you to my blog roll :)

Anonymous said...

I live down south where the staples are a little different. Had Mahi Mahi and collards. So I did a slight variation and it turned out great. Added "rotel" DICED TOMATOES WITH HOT PEPPERS to the sauce and served collards on the side. Loved it. You catch the marriage dynamic very well.

Aggie said...

I googled coconut red curry and happened upon this recipe which sounded the tastiest to me...was so happy to see your name next to it! I miss your blog!!! :) hope you are well and life is good.