Thursday, April 16, 2015

Spring Pea Green Curry with Black Cod and Strawberry – Channeling My Inner Spa Chef

I’ve always loved green curries, but until a recent visit to Al’s Place, I’d never thought of using fresh, sweet peas as the base. It was amazing, and after only a few bites I knew I'd steal this idea and make it my own. Sorry, Al.

Their version featured pickled strawberries, but I decided to try a different approach, and used diced, fresh berries instead. I didn’t use any palm sugar or coconut milk, so the sweetness they provided paired perfectly with the brightly seasoned sauce.

As I mentioned in the video, I used a jarred curry paste, Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, to be exact, and it works just fine. It contains green chili, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, salt, shallot, pepper, coriander, cumin, and kaffir lime, which is pretty much what you’d grind up to make a fresh green curry.

Next time I’ll make the paste from scratch just to see how much better it is, but I have to admit, the trade-off in time and effort is pretty attractive. Speaking of attractive, this lovely bowl of spring goodness sure would look good on your table, so I hope you give this spring pea green curry a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 appetizer-sized portions:
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons green curry paste, plus more to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1 pound trimmed sugar snap peas, snow peas, or English peas
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 pound boneless black cod (aka butterfish or sablefish), but into eight 2-oz pieces, skin scored 1/8th inch deep
4 tablespoons diced strawberry
2 teaspoons mint chiffonade

18 comments:

Obeah said...

This doesn't look right. There is no cayenne. Who are you and what have you done with Chef John? :P

Unknown said...

Chef John, If you end giving the homemade curry paste a try, and it's way better, will there be a video?

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if anybody else is having problems with the videos? I'm not seeing the correct video for the recipe. Or is this just me?

S/V Blondie-Dog said...

Greetings Chef! I ain't ever pureed me sum' snap peas before but 'dis here soupy do sure look quite appetizing. In any event my finicky lady-friend claims that square-grouper should be the fish of choice in this here soup dish not that I've ever heard of this particular fish before. Anywho's... you remains' da' best! Thanks!

RB said...

Made this for dinner tonight. Bravo! I added a touch of red curry powder for a bit more heat. Cayenne would have worked too. Will definitely make this again to impress guests. Thanks.

Unknown said...

Awesome. This looks great, I'm tempted to try this sauce as a soup. I had a "whirled peas" soup at a nice deli that had curry flavors in it, it was very good.

But definitely going to try the seafood preparation first, and will even give the strawberries a go. Can't wrap mind around them in this, which means mind will be blown when it works perfectly.

Elizabeth said...

I apparently need a lesson in fish. You can de-scale a fish without removing the skin?

Unknown said...

I live in Florida and I've never seen black cod for sale. What other fish would you recommend using in this dish?

Aidann said...

Wow this is a beautiful dish! Sounds so tasty too. I'm going to test drive it tonight for dinner. This would be a lovely appetizer at a dinner party.

Chef John said...

Elizabeth, yes, the skin always remains after you scale a fish!

Suejette, listen to the video again, as I gave other options, but you use whatever you can get!

Anonymous said...

Cj, please do:

green, red, rogan josh, vindaloo...as many as possible:)

Dan and Hilary said...

Great post Chef John, welcome back! Funniest and most interesting dish Ina while award with this one!

For the record I appreciate you sharing the mistakes along the way...

Greeter said...

I have never heard anyone mention this, but, my glass blender cracked once because the stuff I was pureeing was too hot. So, I thought I would mention it to the world. Also, embarrassing question, but when does one use olive oil and when does one use vegetable oil to cook fish?

Chris Floyd said...

This recipe peaked my curiosity and I had to try it. Black cod and fresh sugar snap peas were available at Whole Foods yesterday, but I couldn't find the curry paste. Instead I subbed in green curry simmering sauce from a jar. The strawberries and mint were definitely a twist to the palate, and the dish turned out very well. My family all enjoyed it, even my wife who often notes she doesn't like curries (I just didn't tell her this was a curry). For my vegetarian daughter I subbed some fresh char grilled asparagus tips instead of the cod, and she enjoyed it too. In all, this was easy and very flavorful. I do see though why the original recipe called for pickled strawberries. That sweet tartness would have been perfect, but fresh did work in a pinch. Just get the sweetest berries you can find.

I've enjoyed making several dozen of your recipes over the last two years and have learned so much from you. Keep 'em coming chef John.

Chris F.
Jackson, CA

jd said...

Love the Warriors reference! Chef John, you are a master of wit! Thank you again for posting such great videos!

gordo said...

Excellent!!!!! I did serve Jasmine rice on the side and used halibut in place of the black cod. My wife knows my secret source for great recipes as I cannot tell a lie. Thank you.

choral singer said...

I bought some green curry paste from the Ranch 99 store - some brand from Thailand. Ingredient list looked good. I added a good slug to the onions and luckily I tasted it because it was really hot! I had to remove a bunch of it before adding the liquid. I served it with salmon. Very nice.

Alex in Shanghai said...

Just made this for the second time, totally amazing both times. First time used shelled peas, this time used ones that seemed like a hybrid between sugar snap peas and snow peas, no need to strain. Used blueberries last time because no strawberries, and was fabulous. Will use the strawberries this time. Thanks so much, Chef John, you're always always awesome!