Thai red curry seafood is a spicy dish with tons of Thai flavours. If you enjoy spicy food then I think you are going to love this recipe. It’s packed with fish and prawns and loads of vegetables for extra taste. Serve it with a side dish of jasmine rice and have a delicious supper on the table in next to no time!
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Seafood Thai red curry recipe
This Thai red curry seafood recipe is one of the recipes that I go to when I’m craving a spicy Thai dish, but don’t feel like getting dressed up to go out to an actual restuarant!
It’s packed with all my favourite flavours – spicy Thai red curry, succulent fish, juicy prawns and lots of vegtables. Served with a helping of fragrant jasmine rice to soak up all the delicious sauce, and you have a homemade meal that doesn’t break the bank, but would cost a pretty penny in a real restaurant.
What’s more, it only takes about half an hour to throw together.
I like to add red peppers, onions, snow peas, green beans, mushrooms and beansprouts, but the variations are endless. Just have a look in your refrigerator and see what vegetables you have available. Pak choi, shredded cabbage, julienned carrots, even baby sweet corn. All these vegetables would be perfect.
This is a dish that you need when you are clearing out your fridge 🙂
For the seafood component I used pieces of haddock and some frozen ready cooked prawns that I needed to use up. You could use any firm fish such as cod, kingklip, hake or halibut and if you’ve got some frozen raw prawns you could use those too.
I think you are going to love this recipe. Let me show you how to make it.
What you will need
Equipment
You will need a large saute pan or frying pan for making this Thai red curry seafood recipe. And for chopping up the vegetables you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board.
Ingredients
This recipe will feed 4 people.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this Thai red seafood curry on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
I’ve split the ingredients across 2 images – one for the fish and vegetables and the other for the Thai red curry sauce.
Red pepper, mangetout (or snow peas), green beans, onions, mushrooms and beansprouts. And as I mentioned above, you can vary the vegetables to suit your own taste. You will need approximately one cup of mixed vegetables per person.
Fish – You can you any firm white fish. I used haddock, but cod, hake, or kingklip would all be suitable. The fish will be poached in the Thai curry sauce, so you need fish that won’t fall apart.
Prawns – I had some ready-cooked prawns that needed using up so I put those in. If you have raw prawns you could use those instead. If possible, get prawns that have been peeled and cleaned – they are far less work than having to peel and clean them yourself.
Thai red curry paste – it’s much easier to buy a jar of Thai red curry paste than it is to make your own. However, I do like to add extra flavour by adding in the following:
- Ginger, garlic and lemongrass paste. You can use the equivalent amount of fresh if you like, but they should all be very finely minced.
- Fish sauce – this adds a unique umami flavour to the dish. Fish sauce can be quite salty so do taste the end result before adding salt to the dish.
Do bear in mind that Thai red curry can be HOT. I use my local supermarket’s own brand, and over time I have come to know how much to add to achieve the level of spiciness that I enjoy. Because of the level of heat, I probably wouldn’t serve this dish to very young children.
Coconut milk – this helps to tone down the spiciness of the red curry paste. I used a small can – 165 grams or approx 5 and a half ounces in weight.
Stock pot – I used a vegetable stock pot, but you could also use chicken. I wouldn’t use beef – the flavour would be too strong for the delicate flavours of the seafood. If you have ready-made vegetable or chicken stock you could use that instead.
You may also need a little cornflour or cornstarch. The consistency of Thai curry sauce is normally quite thin. If you prefer a thicker consistency you can thicken the sauce with a slurry of cornflour and water.
For softening the vegetables you will need a small amount of sunflower or other neutral-flavoured oil.
What to do
Remove the seeds and membranes from the red pepper and cut it into slices. Cut the mangetout in half and cut the beans into 2-inch lengths. Cut the onion into quarters and separate it into petals. Slice the mushrooms.
Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions, red pepper and mushrooms on a low heat until the onions start to turn translucent. This should take 3 to 4 minutes. Stir continuously, and don’t allow the onions to brown.
Add the red curry paste along with the ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Stir well to coat the vegetables and continue to fry for a further 1 minute.
Stir in the coconut milk and fish sauce, and add the stock pot and one and a half cups of water. Add the beans, mangetout and beansprouts.
Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a strong simmer, cover with a lid and leave it to cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Don’t let the vegetables become too soft – you still want a bit of ‘bite’ in them.
Nestle the pieces of fish into the sauce. If you are using raw prawns you should add those at this time too. Cover and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Using a pair of tongs, carefully turn the pieces of fish over. If you are using ready-cooked prawns add them now. Cover with a lid and leave for another 2 minutes. This will give the fish time to finish cooking and will also allow the prawns to warm through.
If you would like to thicken the sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of cornflour (or cornstarch) with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. With the curry on a low heat, drizzle the cornflour mixture into the curry and carefully (so as not to break up the fish) stir the cornflour into the sauce. The sauce should thicken almost immediately. You may not need all the cornflour mixture. Just use what you need to thicken the curry to your liking.
Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste.
Transfer the curry to a serving dish, garnish with chopped coriander, and optionally drizzle with a squeeze of lime juice. Serve with a bowl of fragrant jasmine rice.
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Thai red curry seafood FAQ
Softer vegetables such as mangetout and beans need less cooking time than onions and red pepper, so the are added later in the cooking process. You should bear this in mind if you add different vegetables to the ones I have selected for this recipe.
Apart from the colour, the difference is in the heat. Thai red curry is made from red chillies (which are hot) and Thai green curry is made from green chillies (which are milder). The colour and flavour of Thai green curry is further enhanced by the adddition of greenery in the form of basil, coriander and kaffir lime leaves. There is a third variant, Thai yellow curry, which sits somewhere between red and green Thai chilli on the heat scale, and is made from yellow chillies enhanced with turmeric.
Unfortunately this dish isn’t suitable for freezing. It would still be edible, but the fish would tend to break up on defrosting and the vegetables would be mushy.
I like to serve this curry with a bowl of fragrant jasmine rice. See my post on how to cook rice in the microwave for a quick and easy way to cook it.
Save for later
If you would like to try this Thai red curry seafood dish yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe you may also enjoy some of my other Thai-inspired recipes:
- Thai fish parcels – luscious chunks of cod and plump juicy prawns baked in tinfoil in a flavourful Thai-flavoured sauce.
- Thai pork mince stir fry with green beans – my Thai version of Italian bolognese – fusion cooking at its finest!
- Thai meatballs with satay sauce – chicken and pork meatballs with a tasty satay sauce.
The recipe
Thai red curry seafood
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound / 450 grams firm white fish
- ½ pound / 225 grams prawns either pre-cooked or raw
- 1 large red pepper / capsicum
- 1 medium onion
- 2 ounces / 60 grams green beans
- 2 ounces / 60 grams mangetout / snow peas
- 2 ounces / 60 grams mushrooms
- 1 cup beansprouts
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 teaspoons lemongrass paste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 5½ ounces / 165 grams can coconut milk
- 1 vegetable or chicken stockpot
- 1½ cups / 360 ml water
- 1 tablespoon cornflour / cornstarch optional for thickening
- 2 tablespoons sunflower or other neutral-flavoured oil for softening the vegetables
- 1 small lime juice only (optional)
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander for garnish
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Remove the seeds and membranes from the red pepper and cut it into slices. Cut the mangetout in half and cut the beans into 2-inch lengths. Cut the onion into quarters and separate it into petals. Slice the mushrooms.1 large red pepper / capsicum, 1 medium onion, 2 ounces / 60 grams green beans, 2 ounces / 60 grams mangetout / snow peas, 2 ounces / 60 grams mushrooms
- Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces.1 pound / 450 grams firm white fish
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions, red pepper and mushrooms on a low heat until the onions start to turn translucent. This should take 3 to 4 minutes. Stir continuously, and don't allow the onions to brown.2 tablespoons sunflower or other neutral-flavoured oil
- Add the red curry paste along with the ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Stir well to coat the vegetables and continue to fry for a further 1 minute.3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, ½ teaspoon ginger paste, 2 teaspoons lemongrass paste
- Stir in the coconut milk and fish sauce, and add the stock pot and one and a half cups of water. Add the chopped beans and mangetout, and beansprouts.1 cup beansprouts, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 5½ ounces / 165 grams can coconut milk, 1½ cups / 360 ml water, 1 vegetable or chicken stockpot
- Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a strong simmer, cover with a lid and leave it to cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Don't let the vegetables become too soft – you still want a bit of 'bite' in them.
- Nestle the pieces of fish into the sauce. If you are using raw prawns you should add those at this time too. Cover and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.½ pound / 225 grams prawns
- Using a pair of tongs, carefully turn the pieces of fish over. If you are using ready-cooked prawns add them now. Cover with a lid and leave for another 2 minutes. This will give the fish time to finish cooking and will also allow the prawns to warm through.
- To thicken the sauce mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water and drizzle it into the curry over a low heat. Stir carefully so as not to break up the fish. The sauce should thicken almost instantaneously. You may not need all the cornflower mixture.1 tablespoon cornflour / cornstarch
- Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste.Salt to taste
- Squeeze the juice from half the lime over the curry and garnish with chopped coriander (both optional). Serve hot with jasmine rice.1 small lime, 1 small bunch fresh coriander
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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