Halibut in Thai Curry Sauce over Fresh Corn Polenta

Sure, we just had halibut a couple of days ago... but I think I've mentioned I like to eat something over and over again to get a feel for it... at least I used a different recipe!! :)

Well, that and Dave specifically requested seafood... he'd picked out a bottle of wine he wanted to have with dinner, so I needed to pick a dinner that went with it.

This dinner had a lot of things going for it. For starters, it allowed me to use some of my CSA summer squash (in place of the zucchini), it called for red Thai curry paste, which we love, and it had creamy, dreamy, lovely polenta. You can't really see it in the picture, because the sauce is so saucy, but there really is a heaping pile of polenta in there. I promise. I wouldn't lie about polenta.

My substituted lite coconut milk for regular and I used frozen organic corn kernels instead of fresh-off-the-cob. I would suggest, if you decide to make this at home for a crowd, get more fish. There was ample polenta, veg, and sauce to serve at least 6.

Halibut in Thai Curry Sauce over Fresh Corn Polenta
Whole Foods Market
http://www.wholefoods.com/recipes/seafood/halibut_thaicurry.html

Fresh Corn Polenta
4 cups water
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup polenta
2 ears corn, kernels removed (2 TB reserved for curry below)
2 TB butter

Coconut Red Curry Sauce
1 to 3 tsp red curry paste, or to taste
1 can (15 oz) coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 TB fish sauce
2 TB brown sugar
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 TB fresh lime juice
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
8 oz cremini mushrooms
2 TB corn kernels, (reserved from above)
1 1/4 lb halibut, skinned and cut into 4 pieces

In a heavy medium saucepan, bring four cups salted water to a boil. Slowly add polenta and whisk continuously for one minute. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring periodically. Add corn kernels to polenta and cook 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, add butter, and mix well.

While polenta cooks, combine curry paste with coconut milk in a large heavy skillet and simmer on medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add basil, fish sauce, brown sugar, stock, lime juice, reserved corn kernels and chopped vegetables. Simmer for 4 more minutes. Add halibut and simmer, covered, for 10 more minutes or until halibut is opaque and cooked through, flipping once. Set aside and keep warm.

Serve halibut over polenta with curry sauce ladled on top.

See the recipe...

Chili Shrimp and Coconut Risotto

I tell ya, chili and coconut are friends. Good friends. And I especially enjoy when shrimp is invited to their party.

This is one of the recipes saved in the Great Recipe Cull of a month or so ago. It makes me smile that it was pulled from a magazine in 2002. Ah, memories.

I am so glad I learned how great Thai red chili paste is. I eventually found it in a jar, rather than a can (so I can save it in the fridge), and I just love the heat it provides. Nothing drastic, but enough to make your nose run and the back of your neck sweat. Its not the same fire you get with buffalo wings, and for that, I am grateful!

One edit I think this recipe could use... more scallions. It asked for one, I used two, and I felt like it got lost in the rice. Next time, I'll probably go with at least 4. Oh, and in case anyone is counting, I used "lite" coconut milk. I try to save calories where I can - especially since we followed dinner with angel food cake alongside that blueberry-pie-ice-cream!

Chili Shrimp and Coconut Risotto
Real Simple Magazine, September 2002
http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=524272

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons chili paste

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

4 cups cooked jasmine rice

1 cup bean sprouts1 scallion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, and salt and cook until the shrimp is pink and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp and set aside.

Add the chili paste and coconut milk to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, bean sprouts, scallion, lime juice, and shrimp and cook until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve garnished with basil leaves.

See the recipe...