Apr 24, 2010

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce




This amazing fish dish will make you look like you really know your way around the kitchen. The sauce really makes the dish! For you Thai lovers, this recipe is a keeper. Prep all your ingredients before you start cooking, I used my mini food processor to save time (love this!). This dish is quick, easy, took less than 30 minutes start to finish. Perfect over jasmine rice. (You can substitute basil for cilantro if you don't care for cilantro)



Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 piece fish plus sauce Old Points: 5 pts Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 225.2 • Fat: 6.9 g Protein: 35.5 g Carb: 5.6 g Fiber: 1.1 g
 
  • 1 tsp dark sesame oil, divided
  • 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped scallions
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 tsp red curry paste
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp Asian fish sauce
  • 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 6 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
  • salt
  • Cooking spray

Preheat broiler.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and scallions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, Asian fish sauce, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro or basil if using.

Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.
Print Friendly and PDF
Pin it

93 comments:

  1. Gina, this looks like another winner for sure! :)
    ReplyDelete
  2. what a sauce! Love the way it looks... am sure it would have tasted great!
    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Gina
    I am a personal chef and I really enjoy your site! I have been making this dish for years and it is always a hit! I have several WW clients and my business is focused around healthy eating, helping my clients reach or maintain a healthy lifestlye. Keep up the good work!!
    ReplyDelete
  4. @Chef Liz- Thanks for leaving a comment. I'm sure your clients must love this dish! It had such rave reviews on Cooking Light. We absolutely loved it!! I slightly altered the recipe to lower the points, excellent!!
    ReplyDelete
  5. I have been absolutely loving Thai curries lately, and this one looks delicious paired with mild fish. Can't wait to try it!
    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great way to serve fish! I'll have to try that!
    ReplyDelete
  7. I loved this recipe - felt like I was eating at a fancy restaurant and I saved the extra sauce to use on more fish or shrimp later in the week. Super easy and terrific.
    ReplyDelete
  8. I have been skulking around for a long time, so finally am posting. I can't tell you how many recipes I have made and I credit you for helping me with WW maintenance. I am never bored.

    Question, can I use Hoisen Sauce for the Fish Sauce in the recipe? I have so many bottles of this and that. I'd love to be able to substitute with something I already have. But if it makes the dish, then I will buy it for sure!

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the work you put into the site. It is appreciated more than you can ever know.

    Drew
    Indianapolis
    ReplyDelete
  9. Gina! This is without a doubt our FAVORITE! Soooooo good. FIVE stars, girlfriend!
    ReplyDelete
  10. @drew-You can substitute salt for the fish sauce. Thank you for your appreciation!! :)

    This is definately a 5 star recipe!! Glad you liked it!
    ReplyDelete
  11. I made this recipe last night........it is my favorite so far and the whole family loved it. Just one thing......I am not a fan of the coconut flavor in my food. So when I got to that point in the recipe I tasted the sauce before I added the whole can of milk. It was fantastic, but I wanted to give the coconut milk a try. I only added about a 1/4 cup. It was wonderful. I could have enjoyed it with or without the milk. Do you have any idea how much the points would change if you don't add the milk?
    ReplyDelete
  12. Without coconut milk it should be 4 points per serving.
    ReplyDelete
  13. My friend recently shared your site with me and I just love it. This was my first of many recipes I plan to make of yours. My husband and I loved it. We are not on WW but always looking for healthy recipes...and you have the best I have seen yet.
    ReplyDelete
  14. Gina absolutely love your website,started weight watchers 14 weeks ago down 27.8 lbs...also your recipes are easy and delicious..thanks for keeping me on track...love the new jewlery giveaway by Lisa Lenard ..especially the jumble of charms.definately a moms favorite..keep up your good work ...i count on you...
    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks Jen!

    I love Lisa Leonard too!
    ReplyDelete
  16. Made this tonight..huge success! Thanks for the recipe!
    ReplyDelete
  17. This looks terrific - am always on the lookout for new ways to make broiled fish and we love Thai flavors.
    ReplyDelete
  18. Made this for dinner last night and it was incredible! I forgot to buy fresh ginger, so used 1/2 tsp of ground and I added an extra tsp of red curry paste. I also used fresh basil... it was absolutely to die for! I saw the Cooking Light version posted on another site and the slight changes you made were perfect! I'm so happy I found your site Gina!
    ReplyDelete
  19. That sauce looks so tasty!
    ReplyDelete
  20. I made this last week with snapper, and put it over chicken for my boyfriend (he isn't a huge fan of fish). He loved it! I loved it! Though I will say, living next door to Thailand and having come from Texas, the cilantro gives it a more Latin flavor than Thai...I think using basil will spin it more in the Thai direction :) I'm going to try that next time!

    PS the sauce was even better the next day! YUM!
    ReplyDelete
  21. @sarah - this sauce would make a sponge taste good, don't you think? Well being part Latin, you really don't find too much curry in Latin cuisine, but yes, basil makes a great alternative! Maybe even lemon grass!
    ReplyDelete
  22. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! This was a total stretch & grow moment for me b/c I've never used curry (powder or sauce) before. So glad I did because this dish was absolutely delicious! My b/f was raving about how good this dish was last night! He asked/begged me if I could make more sauce today b/c he wanted to take ALL of the leftover sauce & rice for lunch. I just asked him how his lunch was today...he said "He is in heaven"!
    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm so glad you experimented outside your comfort zone! The curry is very mild... Good for those of you not familiar with curry.
    ReplyDelete
  24. This recipe was fantastic! I am always looking for great fish recipes and this fits the bill perfectly. I followed the recipe as written and served it with brown basmati rice and steamed broccoli. My boyfriend loved it too - he couldn't believe it was a WW-friendly recipe, it was so delicious!
    ReplyDelete
  25. We made this and it is so delicious. Wow. I have just found your site and made about 4 things since last week and have loved everything so far. Thanks for all your work!!!
    ReplyDelete
  26. This recipe looks delicious! I will definitely try it! Thank you for posting it!
    ReplyDelete
  27. Love love love this recipe. My husband proclaimed it was restaurant quality. I made it with your scallion cilantro rice recipe and the flavors were perfect together. We only bought 3 fillets but made the full amount of sauce, so we had leftover to put over some chickpeas and rice the next day. Thank you for posting this recipe!
    ReplyDelete
  28. I am not a seafood person. I have only eaten bites when my hubby has insisted. However, I made this Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce and ate two pieces! That is more than my entire life combined! DELICIOUS! I have tried several of your recipes, but this was my first seafood. I served it with the Scallion Cilantro Rice, which we eat at least once a week. It was all so delicious! Thanks again! :O)
    ReplyDelete
  29. Emily- So happy you all enjoyed it.

    Gracie- It's the sauce that makes this dish, which is probably why you loved it! I'm glad I found a way to get you to like fish. Have a great day!
    ReplyDelete
  30. I made this sauce w/ the fish a few weeks ago and had a question...how come yours looks so much thicker than mine turned out? Mine was delicious, but quite runny...what did I miss? I plan on making it again this week anyhow, but would love to know how to make it thicker. Thanks! Stephanie
    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Stephanie, I'm not sure, it's possible the heat may not have been the same. I chopped my veggies in a food processor which could have made a difference. Also try cooking it a little longer.
    ReplyDelete
  32. Gina- love you website!

    I am definitely going to try this recipe later this week, but i was wondering if you set the broiler to high or low? (I assume low because high would probably burn it) I just wanted to make sure. Do you put the baking sheet on the very top rack in the oven?

    Thanks!
    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks Cristin!

    I set it on low, and not the very top rack, the one below that. Keep an eye on it, it cooks quick.
    ReplyDelete
  34. Thank you Gina! I am so excited to try this recipe!
    ReplyDelete
  35. Hi Gina,

    I cannot find red curry paste anywhere. Is there something I can substitute?
    ReplyDelete
  36. It's hard to substitute, I would add a little chili pepper.
    ReplyDelete
  37. My whole family loved this. I was a little hesitant to make it for my family because of the curry. But, both of my boys (10 & 12) and husband had 2 helpings each. Thank you so much!!
    ReplyDelete
  38. We loved this recipe, thank you for sharing it! I use a lot of the individually wrapped frozen tilapia from Costco and am always looking for new ways to cook it. We had plenty of extra sauce left, so the next night I made an Asian-inspired 1-point soup, and mixed in the sauce- the flavor was great.
    ReplyDelete
  39. Love your site Gina - thank you! Question regarding the red curry. I found "patak's orginal HOT curry past with tomatoes and Cumin (It says Tastes of India on the label) Should I have been looking for a Thai Red Curry Paste? I did not see one. If so, what brand do you like.
    ReplyDelete
  40. I made this tonight and it was GREAT! We will keep this as a regular.~ Sum_Thyme
    ReplyDelete
  41. We made this tonight and it was out of this world. I did eventually find the Thai Red Curry Paste. Still curious (from my post on 11/9/11) if it would have made any difference Indian vs. Thai Red Curry) I felt as though this was a meal I could have ordered out. So flavorable. Thank you!!!!!!!
    ReplyDelete
  42. Thai red curry paste is Not the same as Indian curry so yes, I would use the Thai version.
    ReplyDelete
  43. Making this tonight... any suggestions for side dishes?
    ReplyDelete
  44. This is on the list for next week! :) Thinking about leaving out the coconut milk (don't like it in my food) or will use yogurt instead (that's what Pakistanis use instead of coconut milk) and using thai basil instead of cilantro. Love cilantro, but thai basil is so yummy! Will let you know how it goes. Thanks Gina!
    ReplyDelete
  45. Delicious, Gina!! I used green curry paste because the red was out of stock, and it was still super tasty. FYI the points+ is 6. :)
    ReplyDelete
  46. You've done it again, Gina! LOVE this receipe. Used the leftover sauce over a chicken breast the next day. Also, I didn't have fish sauce, so I didn't add it - still turned out great!
    ReplyDelete
  47. OK AMAZING!!! I love fish and this topping is wonderful. I am going to use it on chicken next!
    ReplyDelete
  48. Holy cow this was delicious. We practically licked the pan clean. I served this over plain jasmine rice with some steamed snow peas on the side and it was just amazing!
    ReplyDelete
  49. Love the idea of using green curry sauce! I keep getting requests to make thai chicken, I'll be making it with this sauce!
    ReplyDelete
  50. Would it be possible to use green curry paste instead of red?
    ReplyDelete
  51. Made this tonight and it was delish!! I used green curry paste and my sauce was not thick like yours. It was runny. Wonder what happened?
    ReplyDelete
  52. Did you use the food processor or chopper to chop your veggies? I think that's what made it thick.
    ReplyDelete
  53. Oops, no i didn't. I just chopped up the green peppers. Wonder if I use the food processor for my extra sauce if it will thicken up. What do you think?
    ReplyDelete
  54. Gina - I just stumbled across your site after beginning WW a month ago (down 10lbs today) ...was looking for low-point, real food recipes. You are truly a woman after my own heart - Thank You!

    I am thinking to try this sauce with cod prepared in parchment tonight. You have given me hope that eating healthy doesn't have to taste like cardboard or include weird chemical sweeteners.
    ReplyDelete
  55. I think the food processor is better at chopping them to make a thicker sauce.

    I bet this sauce would be great with baked cod, or any fish really!
    ReplyDelete
  56. I made this last night, and holy moly is was amazing. I seriously wanted to drink up the sauce with a straw- though I refrained. You've made my weight watchers journey as a newbie so much easier and a HOLE lot tastier. You're amazing, lady! Thanks.
    ReplyDelete
  57. I loved the sauce but I don't think I like fish I wonder if this would be good over chicken!
    ReplyDelete
  58. Sure, would be great over chicken or even shrimp,
    ReplyDelete
  59. Wow!!!!!! This sauce is amazing--we felt like we were eating at a yummy restaurant! My husband literally ate in silence, and at the end of his meal I asked him what he thought..and he replied, "That was the best meal I have ever eaten in my life!" Thank you Gina for everything--you have made WW fun for me and my family! You rock!! :)
    ReplyDelete
  60. Wow! This recipe was fabulous! There weren't any leftovers and even my 1 year old son loved it! The sauce is to die for and I will be using it a lot, I think! Thanks Gina!
    ReplyDelete
  61. This looks amazing! I was wondering if the red/green curry paste is spicy hot. I'm not a fan of spicy food and thought I would check before giving the recipe a try.
    ReplyDelete
  62. The green is spicier the red is pretty mild.
    ReplyDelete
  63. Made this tonight, and licked my plate! So good!!!
    ReplyDelete
  64. My house smells like curry and I love it! I grilled the tilapia because I didn't want to turn on my oven. But it was all so good!!!
    ReplyDelete
  65. Yes, grilling is perfect for the summer!
    ReplyDelete
  66. Gina, This Tilapia is outstanding!! My family loved it! I can't tell you what a life saver your recipes have been. I started WW 5 weeks ago and would not be able to succeed without recipes for the whole family. I have tried at least 6 of your recipes and they were all great. Your photography is so beautiful and you really understand how to build a recipe. Kudos and Thanks so much!!!
    ReplyDelete
  67. Delicious recipe! The sauce was great added to the rice also. I will be making this again. Thank you for your wonderful recipes. They have made my WW journey much more interesting.
    ReplyDelete
  68. Do you use regular yellow curry powder or is there a thai curry powder?
    ReplyDelete
  69. I use regular yellow curry powder, but I have a really good one a friend made me.
    ReplyDelete
  70. It was a hit ;) everyone loved it. We are huge Thai food lovers (most of my family is from Thailand) and this was delicious. I made it with my Tom Kha soup (tried to reduce the calories in that) and Thai beef jerky. nom nom nom.
    ReplyDelete
  71. I gave this recipe to my husband to make for dinner last night and we both agreed it was absolutely delicious! We had one accidental adjustment - he forgot to add the brown sugar, but we didn't miss it at all. We love cilantro, but I'm looking forward to also trying it with basil. My husband was wondering if you could make this is a slow cooker with chicken... would the coconut milk separate? Thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe, Gina!
    ReplyDelete
  72. I think it may be ok but I haven't tried it in a crock pot.
    ReplyDelete
  73. We usually associate beef or chicken with curry, so this recipe is quite a treat! The curry flavors surely complement the tilapia very much so. Thanks for sharing this!
    ReplyDelete
  74. I hardly EVER Follow a recipe! EVER!!! But I DID follow this one and LOVED it!!! Thank you!!! I will be putting it on my "monthly meals" list for sure.
    ReplyDelete
  75. I just made this and it was so GOOD ! I had it over jasmine rice, I followed the recipe as it was written with the exception of cilantro, I love cilantro but since everyone was talking about basil I tried it and I think basil is better for this. I also made your pumpkin recipe and took it to work today with some apples and it was a hit. I love your website, thank you.
    ReplyDelete
  76. I made this tonight - my house still smells like curry! My sauce was also pretty thin - didn't look like the picture. I was afraid to let it simmer too long and reduce since the instructions said not to let it boil. Very nice flavor - just would have liked it to have a little more substance and stay on the fish. ALSO, now that I have this expensive jar of curry paste - what else can I use it for?????!!!!!!
    ReplyDelete
  77. Gina I have been using your recipes for sometime now. The food has been incredible. Please keep them coming. Thank you for making this a labor of love, this site touches so many lives. God bless you!
    ReplyDelete
  78. My husband and I made this together. We love Thai food but have never attempted it at home. So easy and extremely delicious. Very spicy which I love, almost a cajun feel.
    ReplyDelete
  79. Help!

    I loved this recipe so much I"m making it for a dinner party for 10 tomorrow...prepped the sauce tonight, everything was going well until i accidentally let the sauce boil, and now it seems so thin, like a soup! How can i salvage it and thicken it when i reheat for tomorrow's dinner??
    ReplyDelete
  80. This is amazing. I used all red curry paste and had to use soy milk (Silk unsweetened) + cornstarch instead of coconut milk. Surprisingly worked out really well and it didn't taste like soymilk at all.
    ReplyDelete
  81. I've made this twice and while my kids wouldn't eat the sauce, they loved the fish. My husband and I love it. I haven't been able to find light coconut milk, though. Is it hard to find?
    ReplyDelete
  82. AMAZING !!!! I loved this dish...I made mine with Salmon because thats the only fish I had in the freezer. I love Thai food, but prefer to make at home. Thanks again. I have a pressure cooker and would like to try a few of your crockpot receipes in it for a quicker meal...keep up the good work...you are a life saver to all of us who love to cook, and eat healthy.. you have helped me keep of 25 lbs in 2 years!
    ReplyDelete
  83. OMG AMAZING!!! We made this using barramundi fish and brown rice and we will now be making this at least once a month. I just love your site and have made so many wonderful things.... but as of today this is my favorite!

    Kim
    ReplyDelete
  84. Gina, Thanks again for a wonderful dish! The flavor was amazing! Like some others, mine was very thin, so I put the fish on a bed of sauce and then put the solid pieces on top of the fish using a slotted spoon. Next time I will try less coconut milk. (I LOVE your recipes!!!) Oh, I served it with your Coconut Rice.
    ReplyDelete
  85. Just wanted to know approximate fish fillet size? How many ounces?
    ReplyDelete
  86. Gina, I've come upon your site 3 days ago & I've been on here everyday making a shopping list :)I'm not on WW, but I do like to eat healthy. I'm on a strict diet because I have seizures (I'm very limited to what I can eat) My question for you is do you have to add the sesame oil? or does it make a huge difference in the taste? I love your coconut rice dish by the way! Thank you it was SO YUMMY!!! :)
    ReplyDelete
  87. This recipe is just screaming out to me! I love using my food processor and I am a Thai food fanatic! Plus, eating healthy is always a plus!

    Thanks for the awesome recipe :)
    ReplyDelete
  88. I just made this dish and it is amazing! I have sent the recipe to everyone I can think of. Thanks for putting this out there.
    Linda
    ReplyDelete
  89. Wow! I've made 10-15 of your recipes on here and this one is definitely one of my favorites. My Fiance even requested it for his birthday dinner this year. Keep doing what you do, Gina!
    ReplyDelete
  90. OMG! My husband and I went to Thailand a couple months ago and died over the delicious food. I have never been able to replicate Asian flavors all that well at home but gave this recipe a shot because it looked so easy. I kid you not, I almost thought I was in Thailand for a minute. It was THAT good and that authentic. And easy doesn't even begin to describe it. This is going to be my new go to recipe - hands down. LOVE IT!!
    ReplyDelete

Your comments are so helpful to all, thanks for taking the time to write. If you really like a post, please Stumble it and give it a THUMBS UP!

NO SPAM! Spammers will be blocked and deleted, so please don't waste my time and yours.

If you're waiting for a reply to your comment and have a Blogger profile (it's free to create one and you won't be anonymous) you can click on the SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL link that will show up below and receive all follow up comments on that recipe via email.