Coconut Fish Curry
Chunks of firm white fish gently poached in a golden, South Indian–style coconut and tomato curry with ginger, garlic and green chile. Ready in 40 minutes and full of flavor.
Nutrition per serving
about 1¼ cups- Net carbs
- 8.2g
- Calories
- 430kcal
- Protein
- 34g
- Fat
- 30g
- Total carbs
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 1.8 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Coconut shrimp curry: Plump shrimp simmered for just a few minutes in the same golden coconut sauce — one of the most popular curries along India’s coast.
- Add the shrimp to the simmering sauce and cook 3–4 minutes, stirring once or twice, just until pink and opaque.
With green beans & spinach: Green beans simmered in the sauce and spinach wilted in at the end make the curry a complete meal in one pan.
- Add the green beans with the coconut milk and simmer 5 minutes before adding the fish. Stir in the spinach at the end, just until wilted.
- Fish
- Coconut curry
- Nice to have (optional)
- Fish
- Coconut curry
- Nice to have (optional)
- Fish
- Coconut curry
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $19.23 for 4 servings ($4.81 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Toss the fish with ½ tsp turmeric and ¼ tsp salt and set aside while you make the sauce.
-
Melt the coconut oil in a wide, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion 7–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden. Add the garlic, ginger and green chile and cook 1 minute.
-
Stir in the remaining turmeric, the coriander, chili powder and cumin for 30 seconds, then add the tomato and the rest of the salt. Cook 4–5 minutes, mashing with the spoon, until the tomato breaks down into a thick paste.
-
Pour in the coconut milk and water and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
-
Slide in the fish in a single layer and spoon the sauce over it. Cover and simmer very gently 6–8 minutes without stirring (shake the pan instead, so the fish doesn’t break), until the fish is opaque, flakes easily and reads 145°F (63°C).
-
Gently stir in the lime juice, taste for salt and scatter with cilantro. Serve over cauliflower rice.
Tips for success
-
If you can find fresh curry leaves, fry a sprig with 1 tsp black mustard seeds in the oil before the onion — it’s the signature South Indian aroma. - Firm fish holds together best. Cod, halibut, haddock, snapper or mahi-mahi all work; delicate tilapia tends to fall apart.
- Many traditional versions use tamarind for sourness; 1 tsp tamarind concentrate in place of the lime juice adds less than 1 g net carbs per serving.
Nice to have, not needed
- A wide, deep skillet lets the fish poach in a single layer — a Dutch oven works too.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Warm gently in a covered pan over low heat about 5 minutes, or microwave at 50% power, stirring carefully; boiling breaks up the fish.
Prep tip: Make and freeze the curry sauce ahead, then simmer fresh fish in it on the night — dinner in about 10 minutes.
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat just until hot so the fish stays tender. The curry sauce on its own freezes up to 3 months.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosCoconut shrimp curry
ProteinPlump shrimp simmered for just a few minutes in the same golden coconut sauce — one of the most popular curries along India’s coast.
- thick cod, halibut or other firm white fish → large shrimp
8.2 g net · 435 kcal · 37 g protein · 29 g fat · ≈$4.99 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
With green beans & spinach
VeggiesGreen beans simmered in the sauce and spinach wilted in at the end make the curry a complete meal in one pan.
- + 1½ cups green beans
- + 3 cups baby spinach
10 g net · 446 kcal · 35 g protein · 30 g fat · ≈$5.32 per serving (+1.9 g net carbs vs the original)
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