Easy Thai Sea Bass in Red Curry

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by Maggie Turansky


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Simple weeknight meals don’t have to be boring – and that is easily proven with this red curry sea bass recipe!

You can use leftover or precooked, packaged rice, store-bought red curry paste (make sure it’s a high-quality option!) and crimp everything together in a foil packet. There is little prep work required and you can have a stunning and flavourful meal on the table in under 30 minutes.

Sea bass fillets work incredibly well here, but go ahead and use any kind of delicately flavoured yet hardy fish you’d like – such as halibut, bream or if you’re in Australia like me, barramundi.

Thai-Style Sea Bass Fillet
Thai-Style Fish Fillet

How to Make Thai-Style Sea Bass in Foil

As mentioned, this is a great recipe to make if you have leftover rice (and you aren’t keen to make fried rice), but if you don’t have any, make sure you cook about 100g of jasmine rice before getting started.

Once you’ve taken care of that, it’s time to get the curry sauce together – which is achingly simple. Add a few tablespoons of (full-fat!) coconut milk to a small saucepan and set it over medium-high heat.

Ingredients for this recipe
Ingredients for this recipe

Stirring frequently, bring the coconut milk to a rolling simmer and cook until you see the fat begin to separate slightly from the liquid – only a few minutes.

Once you’ve reached this stage, add in some red curry paste – you may have some left over after making my salmon cakes! Cook the paste in the coconut milk until it’s very fragrant – only a few more minutes.

Making the curry sauce
Making the curry sauce

Go ahead and pour in the rest of the coconut milk along with a touch of brown sugar, a splash of fish sauce and – if you have them – some makrut lime leaves. Let the curry sauce simmer for a few minutes while you assemble the fish packets.

Cut two pieces of aluminium foil and pile the rice equally over the middle of each piece. Place your fish fillets on top.

Adding the fish & rice to the foil
Adding the fish & rice to the foil

Once your curry sauce has been simmering for about 5 minutes, stir in a handful of Thai basil leaves and then spoon it evenly over the fish fillets.

Then, crimp the foil tightly over everything – this will allow the sea bass to steam – and move to the oven.

Pouring over the curry
Pouring over the curry

Cook the fish until it reaches an internal temperature of 55°C/130°F – this will take about 15 minutes. Let the fish rest in the packets for about 5 minutes before un-crimping (this is the same step I use in my baked snapper in foil).

Then, all you need to do is serve! Top the fish with a bit more Thai basil, if you’d like and maybe a squeeze of lime juice!

Taking the foil packets out of the oven
Taking the foil packets out of the oven
Thai Sea Bass in Red Curry

Thai Sea Bass in Red Curry

These simple sea bass fillets are cooked in a flavourful red curry sauce in individual foil packets. It's quick to make and super delicious!
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Servings 2
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 200 g (7 oz) full-fat coconut milk divided
  • 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
  • 2 tsp light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp (2 tsp) fish sauce
  • 2 makrut lime leaves finely chopped, optional
  • 2 sea bass fillets about 150g/5oz each
  • 250 g (1 ½ cups) cooked jasmine rice from 100g (½ cup) uncooked rice
  • 10 g (2 tbsp) Thai basil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Add 2 tbsp of coconut milk to a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a vigorous simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat separates from the liquid – about 2-3 minutes.
    Simmering the coconut milk
  • Add the curry paste and cook until very fragrant – another 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce and lime leaves. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
    Making the curry sauce
  • Meanwhile, cut 2 30cm (12in) pieces of aluminium foil and lay them on a clean work surface. Mound the rice equally in the centre of each piece of foil. Arrange the sea bass fillets over the rice.
    Adding the fish & rice to the foil
  • Remove the red curry sauce from the heat and stir in the Thai basil. Spoon the sauce evenly over each fish fillet and crimp tightly to completely seal the fish and rice in the foil. Place the packets on a rimmed baking sheet.
    Pouring over the curry
  • Move the fish to the oven and cook until the internal temperature of the fish registers at 55°C/130°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the fillet – about 15 minutes. Allow the fish to rest in the packets for 5 minutes before un-crimping and serving, topping with more Thai basil if desired.
    Taking the foil packets out of the oven

Nutrition

Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 699mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3943IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 6mg

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

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These Thai-style red curry sea bass fillets are so quick and easy to make that they’re sure to become a regular weeknight favourite!

Are you after an easy weeknight recipe with Thai flavours? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!

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Maggie is the creator behind No Frills Kitchen. She is a world traveller, home cook and recipe developer who loves to experiment with new cuisines and techniques at every chance she gets. No stranger to improvising and making do with the equipment and ingredients she has available, she is passionate about sharing her knowledge with others. Read More

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