I was looking for more ideas to use up my fall pumpkin, and happened on the idea of a pumpkin seafood curry. I wouldn’t have thought to put these two ingredients together, but it works! I switched things up and went for a South Indian inspired recipe and boom... deliciousness!
Keto Pumpkin Seafood Curry in Coconut Milk Recipe
Coconut Sauce Ingredients:
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds (*Use yellow or brown if you prefer a milder flavour.)
- 1½ tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¾ cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 or 2 jalapeños, minced
- 12 fresh or dry curry leaves (*If unavailable, sub with one dry bay leaf.)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- ½ tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- A pinch of ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup fish or chicken bone broth (*or water)
- 14oz can full-fat canned coconut milk
- Kosher sea salt, to taste
Pumpkin Seafood Curry Ingredients
- 1½lb fresh seafood and/or fish cut into bite-sized pieces if necessary (*I used peeled prawns, scallops, white fish.)
- 2 cups pumpkin, chopped into 1" pieces
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 2-3 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Directions:
Start by making the coconut curry sauce. This can be done ahead of time if you like. Open the can of coconut milk. There should be a solid layer of thick coconut cream sitting at the top of the can. Scoop out 80 ml (⅓ cup) of this solid cream and set aside.
Heat avocado oil along with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and shredded coconut together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover with a lid. When the seeds start to pop, remove the lid, reduce heat to medium, and add the yellow onion. Sauté, stirring, for about 3-4 minutes, until the onion is translucent and turning golden at the edges.
Add the jalapenos and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the curry leaves, ginger, and garlic. Stir for 10 seconds, then add the dry spices, mix and cook, stirring vigorously, for 30 seconds. Add the water and the 80 ml (⅓ cup) of thick coconut cream that you earlier set aside, and the salt. Reduce heat and let simmer until the water from the coconut cream has evaporated and the oil separates and pools on top. This may take several minutes minutes. This is a very important step to making sure the spices are cooked properly.
Add remaining coconut milk, reduce heat to low and simmer very gently for 5 minutes. Be sure not to boil the sauce or it will split. You may use this coconut curry sauce immediately or let it cool and refrigerate it for up to four days or freeze it for up to 2 months. To use, defrost and bring to a simmer before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
When you're ready to make the pumpkin seafood coconut curry, make sure you have all the vegetables chopped and ready, and all the fish/seafood prepared before you start because it cooks very quickly.
Heat the prepared sauce in a sauce pan in a large skillet over medium-high heat until simmering. Stir in the pumpkin, spinach and the tomatoes. Bring back to a simmer. Immediately stir in the prepared seafood and/or fish, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the seafood is just opaque and the fish has just started to flake, around 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro and lemon juice, and serve immediately over cauliflower rice.
Did you make this keto south Indian pumpkin seafood coconut curry recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
