Alaskan Halibut Thai curry stew

 

It's winter in Alaska and my book club is tonight, so I wanted to make a large batch of something warm. My freezers are still stocked with last summer's catch, so I got some halibut defrosting and gathered all my ingredients. (I don't normally use recipes, so I'll post quantities and amounts to the best of my knowledge).

 

I pulled all the flavors of Thailand I could find from the pantry and fridge. The great thing about soups or stews is that you can throw in so many different things, so just stick to a flavor profile (in this case - Thai) and you'll be all set! 

This recipe makes about 1.5 gallons of stew.

• Coconut oil - 1 TB
• Coconut milk - 2 13.5-oz cans
• Red curry paste - 2-3 TB to taste
• Chicken stock (although I ended up using seafood stock instead) -1.5 32-oz TetraPak containers
• Lemongrass - 1 stick sliced lengthwise
• Cilantro - like 1/3 of a bunch chopped, plus more for garnish
• Lime - 1 tsp zest, then slices for serving
• Ginger - 1 thumb-sized piece, peeled and sliced in half length-wise
• Shallot - 1 whole, diced
• Potatoes (I used Alaskan-grown gold) - about 6 or 7
• Spinach or any green vegetable you have like chard, kale, zucchini - 3 handfuls
• Salt and pepper - to taste
• Alaskan halibut or any firm white fish like cod or rockfish would maybe work, too - 3-4 pounds
• Serve with Jasmine or brown rice if you like

 

1. I defrosted about 3-4 pounds of halibut in the sink. Jim caught this last summer in Prince William Sound and we fileted and vacuum packed it at home. (Side note: these wire racks that sit on the bottom of the sink work so well for weighing down frozen items for defrosting.)

2. In a heavy dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat, saute one whole diced shallot in about a tablespoon of coconut oil until they are translucent. Next, add about 2 soup spoons' worth (or more or less) of red curry paste and let it saute with the shallots for about 1 minute.

3. Add 2 cans of coconut milk to the pot, as well as 1 container of seafood stock (or any kind of broth).

 

4. Next, peel about a thumb-sized piece of ginger (I have pretty big hands, you might need more or less). Cut it in half length-wise, also slice a piece of lemongrass in half length-wise (or use lemongrass paste) and add both aromatics to the pot. Add some lime zest and some chopped cilantro, as well. Let the soup reduce by about 1/3 to 1/2.

5. While the liquid is reducing and making your house smell like heaven, peel and cube about 6-7 gold potatoes (not pictured) and add to the pot. The mixture will boil, when it does, turn the heat down to about medium to keep it simmering.

 

6. Prep your fish which goes in very last to prevent it from falling apart or drying out. I removed the skin and any errant bones in these filets, then I seasoned them with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, then cubed them into bite-sized pieces. 

7. Add the halibut when the potatoes in the liquid are tender and the mixture is reduced. The liquid should just barely cover all the fish and potato chunks like in the photo above. I needed to add more stock.

 

8. Last, add about 6-8 sliced green onions to the pot, cover and let the halibut poach until it is just finished (start checking after about 4-5 minutes).  This is also the stage when you can add green veg if you like - 3 handfuls of spinach or kale, sliced zucchini. I'm warming mine up later so I'll add spinach just before serving. Finish soup with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Serve with chopped cilantro, more green onion, Thai basil, lime slices and chili paste or sauce if you like. (Watch out for lemon grass and woody ginger pieces, or just pick them out.) Enjoy!