Easy to make and packed full of flavor, this Thai Fish Curry is infused with a rich coconut yellow curry sauce that is savory and subtly sweet. Serve portions over jasmine rice to soak up that incredible broth!
Craving more Thai flavors? Don’t miss our Thai Coconut Chicken, which is one of our favorite stir fry recipes.
Easy Thai Fish Curry Recipe
Do you like fish? If you say no, maybe it’s because you’ve never had good fish. Or maybe not prepared in a comforting curry broth, along with tender carrots and potatoes like in this Thai Fish Curry recipe.
Curry recipes pack so much flavor and are some of the easiest meals to make with so much variation to them. Unlike my Thai green curry recipe which uses a green curry paste, today’s recipe is made with yellow curry.
Compared to red curry and green curry, yellow curry is the mildest on the spice scale. Mixed with coconut milk, this curry is rich in taste with a subtly sweet flavor. This soup also happens to be gluten free and dairy free, accommodating several different diets.
Ingredients Needed
This recipe calls for just a handful of common items, plus yellow curry paste.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Barramundi fillets – About 8 ounces total, skinned removed, cut into 1-inch pieces. This white fish has a firm and meaty texture, but also buttery and delicate. See substitutions below.
- Vegetables – Onion, garlic, carrots, red bell pepper, and Yukon gold potatoes add color, texture, aromatics and flavor to the stew.
- Olive oil – Used for sautéing the vegetables.
- Chicken broth – Low sodium is preferred to prevent the curry from being overly salty.
- Coconut milk – You’ll need canned full-fat coconut milk, not coconut cream or a low-fat version.
- Yellow curry paste – Jared yellow curry paste can be found in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores.
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley season the dish.
- Jasmine rice – Steamed, for serving.
Recipe Variations
The curry broth alone lends itself to many variations to suit your taste.
- Use a different fish. If you can’t find Barramundi, good substitutes are cod, halibut, Chilean sea bass, halibut, or snapper.
- Swap out the protein. Not a fan of fish? You can easily make this Thai curry with chicken or even shrimp. If using chicken, chicken thighs are recommended over chicken breasts as they’ll stay juicy for longer. Large shrimp or prawns should be added in the last 5 minutes or so, as you want them to cook through but not overcook.
- Add other veggies. If you’d like to add more vegetables, eggplant and zucchini are all great options that are popular in curries. Asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms can all be added as well.
- Make it vegetarian. If you’d prefer a vegetarian curry, just omit the fish and add in more veggies. You can also add some tofu, just sauté it before adding.
Serving Suggestions
Thai fish curry is typically served over jasmine rice, which is how I serve mine. For a lower-carb option, you could try brown rice, cauliflower rice, or even quinoa. Since the sauce is on the thin side, I think it’s essential to have some sort of rice to soak up all the flavor!
Naan bread is another great addition for soaking up any extra sauce and I love the cool flavor of this creamy cucumber salad as a contrasting side to the spicy green curry.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Storing leftovers. Leftover Thai fish curry can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to store leftovers promptly and do not leave them at room temperature for more than an hour before refrigerating. Unfortunately coconut milk doesn’t freeze well, so I don’t recommend freezing this soup recipe.
- To reheat. Leftover curry can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. Reheat until hot and take care not to simmer the sauce too much to avoid thickening it or overcooking the fish.
More Recipes with Curry:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Thai Fish Curry
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounce jar yellow curry paste
- 3 medium carrots , peeled and cut into thin rounds
- 1 medium sweet onion , diced small
- 1 red bell pepper , cut into small 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 15 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 & 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 8 ounces Barramundi fillets , skinned removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- fresh chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add carrots, onion, and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and the carrots and bell pepper are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 20 seconds. Season with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Add potatoes, coconut milk, and chicken broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes until potatoes are almost tender when pierced with a fork.
- Add in fish and cook an additional 5 minutes until cooked through and potatoes are tender, but not mushy.
- Divide fish curry among shallow bowls and top with parsley.
First time making anything with curry. I was scared. LOL. It was quite good!
Oooooh this looks SO good Amy!
One day I will have a good grocery store near me. This is the second time I’ve read you rave about this fish and I soooo wanna try it! This is a totally gorgeous dish Amy. Love it!
You know, I have been seeing more barramundi around these days but I still haven’t tried it! Love this warm flavorful curry…definitely my favorite kind of meal during these cold times.
This is such a great use for the barramundi, Amy. Especially in this chilly weather!
Couldn’t find Barramundi so just used cod. It was so easy and flavorful – loved it.
This is gorgeous!
Practically me entire family is dairy free, so I’m always searching for recipes. This was perfect!
Loved it!
Yum! I love curry and this was delish!