Coconut Curry Halibut

A while back I received a recipe from my parents with a nice spice packet attached. The instructions said that I had been provided all of the spices that were required in the recipe, already carefully measured. All that I had to do was add the rest of the ingredients and follow the instructions. The recipe was for a Basil Chicken in a Coconut Curry Sauce. My first gripe about the original recipe (actually my only gripe) is the name. The chicken is actually the curry part...it is not a basil chicken...the sauce is coconut basil, if you will. So a more proper name would be Curry Chicken in a Coconut Basil Sauce...but that's just me being picky.

For about six months I held onto the recipe, still with the spices stapled to the front - saying to myself from time to time, "I need to make that recipe..." When I realized that I had leftover coconut milk in the refrigerator and a fresh bunch of basil, it dawned on me that this was the perfect opportunity to use this recipe.

Not being a big fan of dark meat, though chicken thighs are growing on me a little bit - not in a literal sense...- I was going to buy a chicken breast for myself and some thighs for Derek. But then I got to thinking - how boring, I would prefer fish. So I changed up the whole direction of the dish and bought two filets of halibut, actually one slab that I cut into two, and continued on with the basic recipe that my mom had provided me with.

Coconut Curry Halibut
formerly known as Basil Chicken in a Coconut Curry Sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon tumeric

2 filets of halibut (about 6 oz filets)
salt and pepper
1/2 large red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, chili powder, and tumeric. Set aside.

Lightly pre-season halibut filets with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the spice mix over all sides of the fish. Coat well and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.
In a large skillet heat oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the coconut milk, minus a couple tablespoons, to the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the remaining coconut with the corn starch to dissolve the corn starch. Add the corn startch mixture back to the skillet with the coconut milk. Cook on medium heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in the worcestershire sauce, basil and ginger. Add the halibut filets. Cover the pan to let the fish cook, keeping the steam in the pan. Cook for 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.

Serve over rice (brown basamati in our case).

I received good marks on this recipe from my single critic, Derek. He said he would just make more sauce, and I would agree. It cooked down a little bit since I cooked the fish in the sauce. I guess that's a good thing if you request more of something. I feel like I would have made my parents half-proud with this recipe since I didn't quite follow their recommendation. But perhaps that's just because of the way I am - I always like to take something and make it my own - this was no exception!