No bland flavours here! This yellow Thai fish curry is simple, delicious and quick to make. The homemade curry paste is versatile and works well in other dishes — suggestions below.
“Best curry I have ever made. Delicious flavours (I spiced it up a tad more) and quite easy. New favourite and will be exploring more of your curries!”
– Julie Edgar
Nicky’s Notes
I often reach for store-bought pastes for convenience, but making this curry paste from scratch takes only a few extra minutes. If you have a mini chopper, the work is quick and the result tastes fresher than jars of paste.
Five extra minutes and one bowl to wash is a small price to pay for a vibrant, homemade sauce — and no half-used jars taking up space in the fridge.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Notes
- How to Make the Curry Paste
- Making the Thai Yellow Curry
- Can I make it ahead?
- Will it freeze?
- Thai Yellow Curry With Fish Recipe
- More Delicious Curries
How to Make the Curry Paste
Use fresh ingredients — onion, garlic, ginger and coriander (cilantro) stalks — along with aromatic spices to build depth:
Blend everything until you get a smooth, thick paste:
Making the Thai Yellow Curry
Coat half of the paste onto the fish fillets and pan-fry them briefly until the coating starts to brown. Add the remaining paste, then pour in coconut milk and stock and simmer gently. Finish with fish sauce, a touch of brown sugar and lime juice for balance.
This is a go-to, fast and nutritious meal for busy evenings. The recipe below includes options and simple swaps to adapt the sauce for other proteins or vegetarian choices.
- Use the paste with chicken and serve over noodles.
- Steam salmon and spoon the sauce over it.
- For a vegetarian version, swap the fish for roasted sweet potato and chickpeas and replace fish sauce and stock with vegetarian alternatives.
This curry paste is similar to the one used for a seafood laksa on the site, but here the dish uses haddock or cod with kale and rice to make a balanced, vitamin-rich meal.
Can I make it ahead?
You can prepare the paste ahead of time or make the whole curry in advance. Cool it quickly, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. The fish may be less tender after reheating and could break apart, but the flavours remain good. Reheat gently in a pan over medium heat until hot throughout. Avoid rapid boiling to prevent the coconut milk from splitting.
Will it freeze?
Freeze the cooled curry in a covered container for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently in a pan until piping hot. The sauce can thin after freezing; if needed, thicken it with a slurry of 1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water, stirred into the hot sauce until it reaches the desired consistency.
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Thai Yellow Curry With Fish Recipe
Ingredients
Thai Curry Paste:
- 1 regular onion peeled and chopped
- 1-2 medium red chillies chopped (or more if you like it hot)
- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger (or 1 tsp minced ginger)
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 lemongrass stalk outer leaves discarded, inner part chopped finely (or 1 tsp lemongrass paste)
- 1 heaped tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) stalks save leaves for garnish
- 1 ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp tamarind paste check packaging for gluten-free status
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Curry:
- 3 haddock or cod fillets (approx 150g/5oz each) slice in half
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400 ml (14 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- 240 ml (1 cup) fish stock or chicken stock use a gluten-free brand if required
- 2 tsp fish sauce check for gluten-free alternatives
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 100 g (2 packed cups) kale chopped
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 3 tbsp cold water (optional)
To Serve:
- boiled rice
- 1 red chilli finely sliced
Instructions
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Add all curry paste ingredients to a bowl and blend with a hand blender or mini chopper until smooth and lump-free.
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Spread half the paste over the haddock fillets (both sides, or just the fleshy side if the skin remains).
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Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the fillets and cook 2–3 minutes each side until the coating starts to brown. Add the remaining paste and cook for another minute until fragrant.
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Pour in the coconut milk and stock, stir and break the fish up a little if desired. Once bubbling, add fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, lime or sugar as needed.
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Stir in the kale and cook 1–2 minutes until wilted.
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If you prefer a thicker sauce, add the cornflour slurry a little at a time until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
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Serve topped with sliced chillies and boiled rice. Toasted pita is also nice alongside — use gluten-free pita if required.
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Make the paste or the full dish ahead, cool quickly, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat gently to avoid splitting the coconut milk.
Will it freeze?
Yes. Freeze cooled curry for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently. If the sauce is thinner after thawing, thicken with a cornflour/cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water).
Vegetarian version
Replace the fish with roasted sweet potato and chickpeas or tofu. Use vegetable stock and a vegetarian alternative to fish sauce.
Nutritional information is per serving without rice and should be treated as an approximation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
This Thai Yellow Fish Curry was first published in May 2016 and has been updated with new photos, tips and small improvements.
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Serve the curry with boiled rice, pilau rice or homemade chapatis as you prefer.
Some links on the original post may have been affiliate links. Nutritional information is approximate and can vary. For details see the site terms.