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mahi mahi coconut curry served with roasted root vegetables and basmati rice

Mahi Mahi Coconut Curry with Roasted Root Vegetables and Fragrant Basmati Rice

Seared mahi mahi in a silky golden coconut curry sauce, set over sauteed kale and cumin-roasted root vegetables. A composed dinner party plate that comes together in about an hour.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Calories: 650
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Mahi Mahi
  • 4 mahi mahi fillets about 6 oz each, patted dry
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil or grapeseed oil
For the Green Coconut Curry Sauce
  • 2 shallots minced fine
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
  • 2 tbsp green curry paste adjust to taste
  • 1 can 13.5 oz full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 handful fresh Thai basil (or regular basil)
For the Roasted Root Vegetables
  • 2 cups carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 cups parsnips peeled and diced
  • 2 cups sweet potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 cup turnips peeled and diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 squeeze lemon juice
For the Fragrant Basmati Rice
  • 1 1/2 cups basmati rice rinsed until water runs clear
  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3-4 cardamom pods lightly crushed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pinch salt
For Garnish
  • fresh Thai basil (or regular basil)
  • Thin sliced red chili optional
  • Lime wedges
For Plating
  • 4 cups Tuscan kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil for sauteing the kale
  • 4 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 tbsp butter or oil for crisping the sage

Method
 

Roast the Root Vegetables
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss diced carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and turnips with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin.
  2. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan. Use two pans if needed to avoid crowding. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once halfway through, until caramelized and fork-tender.
    3. Crowding the pan steams the vegetables instead of roasting them. When in doubt, use two pans. You want direct oven heat on every cut surface to get caramelized edges, not soft steamed cubes.
  3. Squeeze lemon juice over the vegetables while still hot.
Cook the Basmati Rice
  1. Toast rinsed basmati rice in butter with the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and bay leaf over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Add water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
    3. Do not lift the lid during cooking. The steam trapped inside is what finishes the rice. Every time you lift the lid, you lose 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time.
  3. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and remove the whole spices.
Make the Green Coconut Curry Sauce
  1. Cook minced shallots in coconut oil over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute.
  2. Stir in green curry paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
    3. Cooking the curry paste in fat before adding liquid is the key step. This blooms the aromatics and gives the sauce depth. Skip it and the sauce tastes flat and one-dimensional.
  3. Pour in coconut milk and stir until smooth. Add fish sauce, lime juice, and coconut sugar. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  4. Taste and adjust salt, acid, and heat. Stir in fresh basil just before serving.
Sear the Mahi Mahi
  1. Pat fillets completely dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
    2. Completely dry fish is non-negotiable. Any moisture on the surface will steam the fillet and prevent a crust from forming. Use two sheets of paper towel and press firmly on both sides.
  2. Heat oil in a skillet (stainless preferred) over medium-high heat. Sear fillets presentation side down for 3 to 4 minutes until a golden crust forms.
  3. Flip once and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Pull at 137 degrees.
Plate the Dish
  1. Saute the chopped kale in olive oil over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt for 2 to 3 minutes until just wilted but still bright green.
  2. In a small skillet, melt the butter (or oil) over medium-high heat. Lay the sage leaves in flat and fry 30 to 60 seconds until crisp and aromatic. Transfer to paper towel.
  3. Mound the sauteed kale slightly off-center in a wide shallow bowl. Tuck diced roasted roots into the kale. Lay the mahi mahi on top, presentation side up. Pool the coconut curry to one side. Lay one crispy sage leaf across the fish. Lime wedge on the side.

Notes

The curry sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Root vegetables can be prepped ahead and roasted the day of. Rice takes 20 minutes fresh. Always cook the mahi mahi right before serving for the best sear.
 
Plating: Bed of sauteed kale mounded slightly off-center of a wide shallow bowl. Diced roasted roots tucked into the kale. Fish laid across the top, seared-side up and angled toward the diner. Golden coconut curry pooled to one side. One crispy sage leaf on top of the fish.
Scaling for service: To 8: double the curry base, double the rice and roots, but only 1.75x the fish. Sear mahi in two batches, four fillets per pan max or the pan temp drops and you steam instead of sear. To 12: triple the curry (it reduces slower in volume so start 10 minutes earlier), triple the rice and roots, three fish batches. Hold finished fillets in a 200F oven no more than 5 minutes, then plate.
Dietary swaps: GF and pescatarian as written. For DF: swap the butter in the rice for coconut oil or ghee. The base curry is dairy-free already (coconut milk, fish sauce, no dairy or wheat). For fish sauce allergies or vegetarian guests: sub coconut aminos for the fish sauce, lean heavier on lime and salt. Nut-free as written. Not vegan as written because of the fish sauce and mahi, but the curry base over the rice and roots is a complete vegan plate if you swap the fish sauce for coconut aminos and the rice butter for coconut oil.