Curried Sea Bass with Coconut Milk

Curried Sea Bass with Coconut Milk

Today is one of those days where I'm tackling a huge To Do List. You know the kind... too many entries... certain tasks that get procrastinated and carried over to the next list day after day... like purchasing our Thanksgiving plane tickets, or getting new window treatments for the bedroom.

If truth be told, I'm a To Do List junkie. There I said it!

But they do help me stay organized. It's a way to get all those annoying voices telling me to do things out of my head and down on to a piece of paper, so I focus on my actual life and living in the moment. So they are a blessing, too.

Wow, venting really makes me feel better! Oh, how do I love blogging?

So onto today's recipe for Curried Sea Bass with Coconut Milk. I've made this dish twice in two weeks, which should tell you how much I adore it.

It's a light curry made with coconut oil and coconut milk, fresh ginger, cherry tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro. The local sea bass is very gently poached in the curry, rendering it succulent and flavorful. The flavors taste bright and remarkably fresh. Plus, it's a one pot meal that's a cinch to prepare.

I love serving the curry over a brown basmati rice, but any type of whole grain would be great. As for the fish, I used sea bass in this incarnation, but I've also made it with sole. Almost any white fish would work beautifully.

It's also great -- if not better -- as leftovers the next day.

I'm sure I'll be making this again soon...

Curried Sea Bass with Coconut Milk
Serves 4 people
Cooking time: about 30 minutes
Dairy-free; gluten-free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound sea bass or other white fish, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or grapeseed oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions and bell peppers. Saute until beginning to soften.
2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and ginger. Saute until the tomatoes begin to break down. 
3. Then, stir in the curry powder and cook for another two minutes, or until fragrant.
4. Add the coconut milk and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
5. Add the fish and cilantro. Simmer the fish in the broth for a few minutes, until it's cooked through and flakes apart.
6. To serve, ladle the curry over brown basmati rice. Garnish with a little chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients

• local sea bass, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, baby spring onions, garlic, ginger, and cilantro from the West Hollywood Farmers Market
• hot curry powder from All Spice
• coconut oil from Kelapo
• coconut milk and organic vegetable stock from Trader Joe's

Special Beer Pairing: Thai-Style Steamed Mussels with Coconut Milk & Basil

Thai-Style Steamed Mussels

When first approached, I jumped at the chance to create a beer pairing recipe for the New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of the popular Fat Tire beer.

I absolutely love pairing wine with food, so why not extend my skills and work with beer? My first stop was Whole Foods, where I picked up a case of Trippel Belgium Style Ale, New Belgium's boldest and strongest beer with the longest fermentation (and highest alcohol at around 8%). The beer opens with a blast of hops that smoothly gives way to complex character, finishing with a spicy punch of coriander. This was a big beer with a big personality, and not for the weak of heart. While the obvious choice would have been to go for meat, either braising or roasting it, I wanted to do something a little bit different.

Inspired by the spicy character and coriander flavors, I immediately thought of curry (coriander is one of the major components in a lot of curry), and this led me down the road to Thailand. With such a bold beer, I figured that it would hold up well to the strong flavors and spiciness of Thai aromatics. And instead of meat, I decided that I would steam mussels in the beer itself, finishing them with coconut milk and julienned basil.