Name: Coconut-Red Curry Sauce
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 3/4 teaspoon); 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger; 2 teaspoons red curry paste (see note); 1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar; 1 cup coconut milk; 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice from 1 lime; 2 teaspoons fish sauce; 3 tablespoon water; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves; lime wedges for serving

Why This Recipe Works

To have the fish and sauce in our sautéed fish fillet recipe ready to serve at the same time, we used fillets of uniform size, between 1/4 and 1 inch thick, small enough so that four fillets could fit in a skillet. We reversed the cooking process specified in most sautéed fish filet recipes, making the sauce first and keeping it warm in a separate saucepan while cooking the fish.

Before You Begin

For those who like assertive flavors, the amount of red curry paste can be doubled; in this case, be conservative when seasoning with salt and pepper.

Instructions

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking; off heat, add garlic, ginger, curry paste, and sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, and water; increase heat to high and bring to boil; boil until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm and set aside; stir once after about 1 minute.

To serve, stir sauce to recombine and spoon 1/2 cup over fish. Serve immediately with lime wedges, passing remaining sauce separately.