With strong Southeast Asian overtones this dish brings a smooth, vibrant sensation to your palate. You may need to hunt around a bit, sourcing a few of the ingredients but, the effort will be amply rewarded.
Ingredients for preparing Mangrove Snapper in Green Curry Cream
The Curry Cream
- Green Curry: 2 oz.
- Coconut Cream: 14 oz. can
- Grapeseed Oil: 1 Tbsp
- Kaffir Lime Leaf: Torn
- Ginger: 2 Tbsp, diced
- Cilantro Stems: 1 small bunch (as pictured)
- Carrot: 1 small, julienned
- Red Onion: 1/4 small, sliced thin & rough chopped
- Garlic: 1 clove diced
- Thai Chili (optional): 3-6, halved lengthwise and deseeded
The Fish
- Mangrove Snapper: 2 fillets
- Curry Powder: 1/2 tsp/fillet
- Butter: 2 Tbsp
- Grapeseed Oil: 1Tbsp
- Lime: 1, juice and zest
- Lemon: 1/2, juice
- Thai Basil: Small bunch
- Salt/Pepper: As desired
Preparing the Curry Cream
Chop, dice and julienne as instructed above all of the aromatics and vegetables.
Sauté aromatics and vegetables in grapeseed oil at medium heat for a few minutes.
Create a space in the middle of the pan for the curry paste. Still at medium heats, add curry paste and the lime leaf. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes to get the get the paste toasted just a little.
Add the coconut cream, bring to a very slight boil, reduce heat to low and cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to simmer.
There are any number of riffs available to you at this juncture…. a pinch of cardamom, a pinch of white pepper, a pinch of palm or brown sugar, a splash of fish sauce…. #cookschoice
Preparing the Fish
The setup…..
Dust the fillets with the curry powder, salt & pepper. In an iron skillet, melt half the butter and all of the oil. Bring the pan to medium heat. As the butter/oil mix reaches heat and begins to bubble, add the fillets. Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side.
About the curry powder: the recipe allows for a wide range of latitude here. Stick with a yellow curry for sure but, let your taste (and heat) buds take you where you wish to go otherwise. In our kitchen we prefer the Ghost Curry Powder prepared and sold by Savory Spices. (note: no one here is being compensated to say this…)
Add the last of the butter to the pan and flip the fillets. Cook at medium for 3-4 minutes then reduce heat to low. Take care on the flip…. the fillets are a little tender and can fall apart on you.
Add the curry cream, lime and lemon juice to the skillet with the fish. Move the cream around a little to distribute the juices. Zest the lime over the entire skillet, cut the heat and get the fish on the table for serving. The dish pairs well with your choice of vegetables and the curry cream is particularly well suited for rice and noodles of almost any sort.
Bon Appétit and Tight Lines.
WOW! This looks delicious. However, I’m not sure I would want to override the snapper. That stuff is great with very little additions. I may have to try this with some generic fish. I’m going to have to start looking for ingredients. Thank you for the recipe.