Fallen Souffle

So I have been busy picking out new furniture for the house; couch, loveseat, lamps, desk and coffee tables. You think this would be fun but it has been stressful, I had not expected these expenses so I am stressed out about the money and it’s really hard to find decent, non-frumpy furniture! Though I have checked things off my list slowly and am now down to finding a coffee table and maybe an end table. The house should be completely furnished by the end of the month! I also had to buy a washer and dryer, which was purchased form Craigslist and after pushing and pulling the thing upstairs, resulting in a painful back strain, the damn washer doesn’t even work! Story of my life! So I am working on getting it fixed/replaced/refunded. So I have a non-functioning washer, a strained back and a 10K race this Saturday. Yeah not a good combo, not sure how that is going to play out. The good news is that the Cary Wine festival is Saturday afternoon- so I can just drown out the pain with wine

Anyways, on to a positive note…I have found my new favorite fish dish. Thai Style Halibut with Coconut Curry broth. YUM! It’s an Ellie Kreiger recipe and it is soooo yummy! I actually had a can of light coconut milk on hand and just needed to purchase some red curry paste, a lime, and some scallions. I forgot about the cilantro, but didn’t feel like the dish really lacked any flavor because of it. I also doubles the sauce, because I like things saucey and I let it reduce a bit longer so it would be thicker.

This also took no time to cook, which was even better! I think 20 minutes total, therefore I made some quick cooking wild rice (I would have preferred some coconut rice) so that I wasn’t waiting for rice to cook. I also sauteed spinach as Ellie does so this was quite a well rounded meal.

I think I will use this broth/sauce in some chicken and shrimp dishes as well, maybe throw in some chopped peanuts for a pad thai type dish. So many possibilities!

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely chopped, about 3/4 cup (I didn’t have shallots or onions so I used the whites of the scallions and a couple cloves of garlic)
2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste*, or 2 teaspoons curry powder (use the red curry paste! It is the best!)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
4 (6-ounce) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed
Steamed spinach**
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

*Available in the Asian section of most supermarkets
**Steam or microwave 5 cups of washed baby spinach for 2 minutes

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

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