My Seafood Curry, and What I Pour With It
by Shirley, Hospitality Steward
No gatekeeping here. This is the dish people ask me about most, so I'm finally writing it down, along with the three bottles I keep reaching for when I make it.
It's a seafood curry built on coconut milk, a lot of ginger and garlic, and whatever looked good at the fish counter that morning: shrimp, a piece of cod, a handful of mussels. Rich, but not heavy. The heat from the red curry sits behind the sweetness instead of on top of it.
That's what makes the wine question interesting. You want something with enough texture to sit alongside the coconut milk, and enough acidity to keep the third bite tasting as good as the first. Here's what has worked for me.
2024 Hafner Chardonnay
The easy answer, and the one I go to most often. It has a silky weight that runs right alongside the coconut milk, and then the acidity comes in behind it and resets everything. The shrimp taste sweeter after a sip. That's the whole trick.
2023 Slusser Pinot Noir
People raise an eyebrow at a red with seafood. But this dish leans on ginger, garlic, and curry aromatics as much as it leans on the fish, and it can carry a lighter red without any trouble. The Slusser has bright red fruit and a little earthiness that plays off the bell peppers and snap peas, and the tannins are soft enough that they never collide with the spice.
2023 Hillside Cuvée
The one I open when I want dinner to go longer. It's a blend, so there are more moving parts, and that's exactly why it works: it finds the garlic and ginger on one side, the coconut on the other, and sits comfortably in between.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
½ large white onion, chopped
1 150ml jar Thai red curry paste
1 can full-fat coconut milk (Native Forest, organic)
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (16-20 count), plus 1 large cod fillet and 1 lb mussels, or whatever shellfish you like
½ each yellow and red bell pepper, julienned
1 butternut squash, cubed and steamed
1 cup snap peas, chopped
How I Make It
Sauté the garlic, ginger, and onion in the coconut oil until fragrant. Stir in the red curry sauce and let it toast for a minute, then pour in the coconut milk. Once the base is simmering, add the seafood, bell peppers, squash, and snap peas. Cook just until the shrimp and cod turn opaque, the mussels open, and the vegetables still have some snap to them. Serve over basmati, garnish with cilantro.
Make it on a night when there are people at your table. It's better that way. And if you're up the hill visiting us, ask me about it. I'll tell you what I got wrong the first four times.