Thai Fish Curry | Instant Pot and Stovetop Instructions

Instant Pot Fish Curry in blue bowl on blue napkin garnished with chili and red chili

Thai Fish Curry | Instant Pot and Stovetop Instructions

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Asian, Thai

Main Ingredient: seafood

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Paint the Kitchen Red

Thai Fish Curry is one of the quickest dinner recipes you’ll make. It requires almost no prep but delivers amazing flavor. Flaky cod is gently cooked in a vibrant sauce with flavors of red chilies, lime leaves, and coconut. Creamy coconut milk perfectly balances the spice of the sauce, which tastes best when absorbed by a bowl full of jasmine rice.

Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Thai Choo Chee (Chu Chee) Curry Paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand *
1 ½ cups coconut milk (about 3/4 can), preferably Aroy D or Chaokoh brand
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 ½ lbs. firm fish fillets (e.g. cod, haddock, mahi mahi, salmon) cut into 2-inch pieces
4 tsp fish sauce more to taste
1 Tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar (to taste)
2 tsp lime juice
4 lime leaves chiffonade cut (sliced into very thin slivers) **

Instructions

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Select Saute mode and stir in choo chee curry paste and 1/2 cup of coconut milk until mixture is bubbly, about a minute or two.
Press Cancel.
Add coconut oil and stir for about 30 seconds.
Stir in remaining coconut milk.
Add fish pieces and stir gently, coating the fish with the sauce.
Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook on Low Pressure for 3 minutes. ***
Do a Quick Release of pressure (QR) and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
Add in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and lime leaves.
Stir and allow the ingredients to heat in the residual heat or select Saute and heat through for about 30 seconds. (Be sure not to overcook the fish).
Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.

Stovetop

Heat curry paste, 1/2 cup of coconut milk, and coconut oil in a large heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat until boiling.
Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will be bubbly and fragrant. Use a splatter screen if desired.
Add fish, fish sauce, palm sugar or brown sugar, lime juice, and remaining coconut milk. Swirl the pan to coat the fish with the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a couple more tablespoons of coconut milk or water.
Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked. (Do not stir the dish, since the fish is very fragile).
Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar, or lime juice. Carefully stir in lime leaves and heat through.
Remove pan from heat to prevent the fish from overcooking.
Serve with Jasmine rice.

Video

Notes

Use a splatter screen if necessary, in the first step, to guard against coconut milk splatters.
Choo chee curry is supposed to be thick. If you like more sauce, add more coconut milk. To maintain the same spice level, add more curry paste too.
* If you can't locate choo chee curry paste, substitute red curry paste (Maesri or Mae Ploy brands preferred).
** Lime leaves are also referred to as k-lime, makrut or kaffir lime leaves.
*** If your Instant Pot does not have the low pressure option, pressure cook on High Pressure for 1 or 2 minutes, depending on the size of the fish pieces.
See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.

Nutrition