Because curries get their rich flavor from a blend of spices and intense aromatics, you don’t have to do much to them aside from adding in a handful of veggies, maybe a can of coconut milk or some fish stock, and of course some wild-caught seafood. Curries, not to mention, frequently have plenty of ginger, garlic, and turmeric mixed in, which are all potent anti-inflammatory ingredients that we all could stand to eat more of.
Here are 8 seafood curry ideas that are as healthy as they are filling and flavorful.
Creole Cod Curry
Food Network’s recipe for a creole cod curry makes a stew out of onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes, which get a flavorful kick from grated ginger and lots of garlic. From there, all you need to turn the stew into a full-on creole curry is a few teaspoons of an all-purpose Madras curry powder. Serve with a ginger-infused basmati rice.
Sour Goan Cod Curry
For a sour take on fish curry, try Saveur’s adaptation of a Goan cod curry, which uses a glug of white wine vinegar to cut the richness of its coconut milk base. In addition, before cooking the cod, you’ll dress it with some fresh lemon juice and let it marinate while you’re assembling the rest of the curry with garlic, ginger, cumin, and turmeric. If you like your curries spicy, go ahead and add more green chili than the recipe calls for.
Spicy Burmese Fish Curry
Drawing its intense flavor from dried arbol chiles, this fish curry, also from Saveur, has a base of fresh tomatoes rather than coconut milk, reflecting its Burmese origins. Use cod or even pollock as your protein for something firm and mild. Ginger, sweet paprika, fish sauce, and half a dozen fresh bird’s eye chilis — yes, this one is spicy! — round out the rest of the curry. Perhaps due to its inherent heat, the recipe recommends that you serve this dish room temperature.
Cherry Tomato Fish Curry
Another tomato-based dish, this recipe from Bon Appetit for cod poached in a cherry tomato curry is mild with the addition of just a little fresh red chili and ginger. Any heat from that will be balanced out by a splash of coconut milk, while cardamom and coriander complement the sweetness of seasonal cherry tomatoes with warm, savory notes. Substitute cod for halibut if you want the dish to be a little meatier.
Cashew-Tomato Salmon Curry
Tibetan Kitchen Café’s recipe for a salmon curry makes a delicious paste from cashews, curry powder, garam masala, and tomato paste, which you’ll use to coat the salmon fillets before you give them a quick sear in a pan. After they’re seared, you’ll deglaze the pan with a bit of water to create an easy curry sauce to serve with the salmon over a bowl of rice.
Jamaican Rockfish Curry
Carmen Hibbert’s recipe for Jamaican coconut curry will put your fillets of rockfish to use, first searing the fish in oil infused with Scotch bonnet peppers (use habaneros if you can’t find Scotch bonnets), then briefly simmering everything in coconut milk spiced with Jamaican curry powder and allspice. It’s a flavor-packed dish that won’t take you more than 20 minutes to make.
Thai Red Curry with Salmon and Kale
This Thai-inspired red curry from Minimalist Baker has all the elements you enjoy from a creamy coconut curry -- ginger, garlic, chili, with some fresh cilantro and basil stirred in as well. The curry gets an extra-healthy boost from the addition of lacinato kale, which will wilt down in the last few minutes of simmering, adding a little more substance to the dish; lacinato is a bit more tender than curly kale, so if you’re using the latter you’ll probably need a little more time until it’s cooked enough to enjoy. Spinach, bok choy, or mustard greens can be used as well.
Simple Thai Green Curry with Salmon
If you’re partial to Thai green curries, try Martha Stewart’s recipe for a spicy salmon curry, made with coconut milk, bell peppers, and bok choy — and a couple teaspoons of your favorite green curry paste, of course. It’s easy to make and comes together in less than 20 minutes.
