Thai Green Curry Halibut

Thai curries, deeply aromatic and enriched with coconut milk, marry well with firm fish, shrimp or squid. I use halibut for this green curry, which is firm and holds up well to the strong curry sauce. Most of these ingredients can be found at a well-stocked supermarket, although the lime leaves could get tricky; leave them out if you can't find them. This halibut curry recipe serves 4 as a main course.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb halibut, shrimp or other firm fish
• Kosher salt
• 1 T. finely chopped lemongrass
• 1 chopped sweet onion
• A 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 hot green chiles, such as thai, cayenne or serrano
• 1 12-oz can coconut milk
• 3 T. Thai green curry paste
• 2 T. Asian fish sauce
• 3-5 lime leaves
• 2 T. chopped basil (Thai basil if possible)
• 2 T. vegetable oil

Preparation:

Slice the halibut into large chunks, about 2 inches across. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

In a wok or large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat for a minute and then add the onion, lemongrass, ginger and green chiles. Turn the heat up to high and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until the onions begin to color.

Add the coconut milk and the curry paste, then turn the heat down to medium and stir well to combine.

Add the fish sauce and the lime leaves, mix well and simmer -- do not let it boil hard -- for 5 minutes.

Add the halibut chunks and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve with steamed white rice and top with the basil as a garnish. To drink, I'd recommend a fruity white wine, such as an off-dry Riesling, a Gewurztraminer or -- if you can find one -- a California Roussane.