Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Halibut with Thai Red Coconut Curry on the Grill

Summer is synonymous with grilling - especially in the 49th state, where the sun is up well into the wee hours of the night. Along with steaks, we usually toss a bunch of fresh seasoned vegetables into a foil bag and let them cook in their own juices on the grill.  Excellent for most, but what about Audrey? She is a proud pescetarian, so she decided to fend for herself for her main course.  Going with the foil bag method, she used fresh halibut, and some basic Thai ingredients, and voila -20 minutes later we were all feasting on some of the best coconut curry we've ever tried. And it was so easy...this is a keeper! ~Audrey & Patti
Ingredients:
4 small Halibut fillets
Handful of the following veggies:
 sweet onion, sliced
red bell pepper, sliced
mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup frozen peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 inch fresh lemon grass, sliced in half
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon red curry paste
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cups rice, cooked

On a very large sheet of tin foil, place halibut fillets, veggies and seasonings in the center.  Mix a can of coconut milk with red curry paste, pour over everything.  Wrap into a pouch.

Set on a hot grill, about 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Place it just off from the direct heat and close the grill cover.

Our halibut fillets were fairly small so it only took 20 minutes to cook.  Depending on the thickness of your fish, cooking times may vary.  The internal temperature of the fish should be 145 degrees or you can check it by flaking with a fork.  For serving purposes, we transferred everything into a glass bowl.

Ladle over your favorite rice. Patti had some leftover basmati rice pilaf and served it with this dish.  It was fabulous.  Here's the recipe for the rice:  

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 cups cold water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice)
1/2 onion, diced small
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup basmati rice (best to rinse before using)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried mint (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
1/4 cup unsalted cashews or almonds toasted and chopped
Directions:
Put lemon zest, bay leaf and apricots into the water. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat in saucepan, add garam masala and stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add onion, salt and cook until onion is
 soft and translucent, about 6-7 minutes.
Stir in rice and cook - stir occasionally, until it browns nicely. Stir in water with apricots and lemon zest. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to simmer, reduce and cover with lid. Cook about 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Turn off heat. Let set for 5 minutes to rest, then remove lid and fluff with fork. 
Sprinkle with mint and nuts. Good stuff.

Serves 4