Thai sweet potato curry with cod, asparagus and coconut milk
Easy to make Thai style curry with cod, sweet potato and green asparagus. I love Thai curries because the authentic way of preparing most of them calls for coconut milk. So no need to compromise in any way to get them dairyfree. This recipe is completely paleo proof and easy to make AIP as well. And even though it’s not plantbased or fatfree, with some adjustments you can have this recipe on a Medical Medium diet as well.
Ingredients
- Wild caught, white fish – I use 4 cod fillets (about 4 oz or 125 grams per serving), but you can use other fish like halibut or haddock as well.
- Sweet potatoes
- Green asparagus
- Ginger – preferably freshly grated
- Turmeric – preferably freshly grated
- Black pepper – freshly ground
- Garlic, scallions, red chili pepper
- Lime
- Coconut aminos
- Kaffir lime leaves – dried, can be bought online in Asian stores. Also called makrut/makroet or djeroek peroet.
- Coconut milk – one regular size can of 13,5 oz or 400 milliliters
White fish
I don’t eat fish often, but when I do, I eat fish that is caught as sustainably as possible. I don’t eat farmed fish and try not to eat from endangered fish stock. Personally, I usually use cod. I buy this online at my favorite sustainable fish supplier. My supplier is Dutch so I cant recommend that for the international market, and you of course ‘will make your own choices in this. You can choose any other whitefish. I understand that, for example in England, haddock is better known than cod. They are very similar and can both be used.
Ginger and turmeric
Ginger and turmeric are spicy roots that give this dish its typical Southeast Asian flavours. Both are almost always used as the basic ingredients of any Thai sauce. In Thai cuisine they are preferably used freshly grated or ground. But if you can’t get your hands on fresh ginger and turmeric you can use storebought ground powder instead. But beware! If you decide to grate and grind turmeric yourself… Be sure to use gloves or your fingers will be yellow for days!
Kaffir lime
Southeast Asian cuisine uses a different kind of lime than we have in Europe (or the US). It looks like an old wrinkled version and it’s called kaffir, makrut or djeroek poeroet. For me it’s not easy to buy those. I don’t live near Asian stores or markets where I can buy fresh exotic fruits and vegetables. So, I always use ‘normal’ limes. Luckily you would have to be a real connaisseur to taste the difference though.
Kaffir lime leaves
Where the limes themselves don’t matter all too much, what really will give your dish an Asian flavour are the leaves of the kaffir lime. And those you can use dried and they are easy to order online.
Coconut aminos
What is Thai food without umami? I used to make this recipe frequently and I always used to make it with a few drops of fish sauce (fermented anchovy juice). But since I shifted from paleo to Medical Medium I learned that fish sauce can contain high levels of heavy metals. And not all fish sauce may come from wild caught fish. You can substitute for coconut aminos.
Other summer fish recipes
FAQ’s
Yes, absolutely. Just be sure to eat wild caught fish. For strict paleo, AIP and free from nightshades and seeds leave out the chili flakes and black pepper.
The main focus for the Medical Medium protocol are healing foods like fruits, leafy greens, (root) vegetables and wild foods like mushrooms. Although the majority of MM followers eat plantbased, you can eat fish occasionally. You have to be sure it’s not cultivated and preferably you don’t eat the larger fish at the end of the foodchain because of heavy metals. Based on this article on the MM website, haddock (very similar to cod) is ok.
Yes, but it is not fatfree due to the coconut oil and coconut milk.
Thai sweet potato curry with cod, green asparagus and coconut milk
This recipe may contain
affiliate linksEquipment
- medium/large cast iron skillet
- peeler
- garlic press
- grater
Ingredients
- 4 cod fillets (4 oz or 125 grams per serving)
- 4 sweet potatoes medium or large
- 4 cups (400 g) asparagus (green)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger freshly grated
- or 1 tsp ginger ground powder
- 1 tbsp fresh turmeric freshly grated
- or 1 tsp turmeric ground powder
- 2 pinches black pepper freshly ground
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks scallion, green or spring onion
- 1 red chili pepper ½ for medium spice
- 1 lime
- 1 tsp coconut aminos
- 4 kaffir lime leaves also known as makrut/makroet or djeroek peroet
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
For AIP, free from nightshade + seeds
- NO black pepper or chili pepper
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato and cut into cubes. Bake in a large pan in a generous tablespoon of coconut oil.
- Grate or grind the ginger and turmeric. Press the garlic. Cut the chili pepper into very small pieces. Cut the spring onion into rings. Wash and zest the lime. Bake everything briefly with the potatoes.
- Add freshly ground black pepper.
- Deglaze with the coconut milk. Add the coconut aminos and the juice of the lime (which you took the zest from). Let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Wash and cut the asparagus into pieces.
- Add the fish and the asparagus pieces. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.
Did you make this curry or do you have any questions? Just leave a comment!