A friend in France recently sent me a recipe for Pangasius baked in a delicious creamy curry sauce. I have to say, I had never heard of this fish, but luckily the sauce goes well with almost any white fish. I have a personal preference for cod, halibut, tilapia and whatever that white fish from Africa was. Yeah, I threw the individually frozen filets in the freezer and tossed out the packaging.

My internet research indicates that Pangasius is about the 10th most popular fish in America and that may be true, but it isn’t in my grocery stores. Of course, it could be there labeled as basa or swai, or maybe even Asian catfish, channel catfish or just catfish, although it doesn’t look like the lake catfish PK once brought home in a bucket from a fishing trip to Frenchman’s Lake.

But I digress. The bottom line is this can be made with your white fish of choice. I used tilapia this time… I think, another unmarked package. No matter what fish you use, this is a low carb, delicious – and easy- meal.

White Fish Filet With Creamy Curry

Adapted from Françoise Panzani’s recipe

2 filets of white fish (cod, halibut, Pangasius, tilapia) about 4 to 6 oz each
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon low carb flour or cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C.)

While oven is heating, mix the cream and curry in a bowl to blend well. I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons because I like a strong curry flavor. Adjust it to your preference.

Lightly spray a small baking dish with cooking spray, then pour a little of the cream mixture on the bottom, just enough to cover. Put the fish filets on top of the sauce and dot with butter. Pour the rest of the cream mixture over the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then top with parsley and chives. Just a note here, I didn’t have any parsley, so I sliced three rolled leaves of turnip greens very thinly (chiffonade) to substitute.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to lift the fish to a plate. Keep the fish warm by wrapping in foil. Pour the sauce into a small sauce pan and cook until it thickens or add the low carb flour or cornstarch to a tablespoon of water and mix well, then stir into the sauce mixture to speed up the process.

Place the fish on the serving plates, spread the sauce over top of each and top with a sprig of parsley, if you have it.

I served it with cauli-rice with mushrooms under the fish to soak up the delicious sauce and a side of Brussel sprouts and sliced cucumbers with riced wine vinegar to add a bit of coolness to the plate.

Serves 2
(and a cat – I find it odd that my Himalayan kitty Milo seems to like spicy foods. Banshee did also. Is it typical of the breed?)

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 347 Fat: 26.6 Net carbs: 3.1 g Protein: 24.5 g

Notes about the recipe: You can use milk instead of cream to lower the fat, although it might be a little higher in carbs. 1% reduced fat milk is 6.1 carbs for 1/2 cup. Light whipping cream is 3.5 g. Lactose intolerant? Try unsweetened almond milk for .3 carbs in 1/2 cup or for a touch of coconut flavor, use unsweetened coconut milk for .5 carbs. Add a drop of sucralose or a packet of Splenda if you want the sweetness. The almond and coconut milk options are much lower in fat.

I suspect, and will try it out the next time I make this, that if you add the thickener to the sauce while mixing it that it will thicken the sauce while baking in the oven.

Posted on  8/1/2013 12:02 PM