Coconut Lentil Curry with Seabass
I have a slight obsession with lentils. I think they add the most amazing and unique flavour to a dish, always do a great job of filling you up and they are just amazing as a curry base. The recipe below tells you how to make the curry sauce itself, which can then be served with anything you like and can be easily adapted for a vegetarian or be made with fish or chicken. My favourite way to serve it is with seabass, so I’ve included the method for that. The curry itself is really filling, so often I have it on its own with a dollop of fat-free Greek yoghurt, but you can also serve this with rice – just be sure to add the extra calories.
Because this serves 4, the hubbie and I also had this for lunch the next day at work and instead of fish, I added 100g of roasted chicken, shredded before I warmed it up. Perfection!
If you like your curries hot, use a nice hot chilli such as a scotch bonnet. If not and you like a medium heat, go for a regular red chilli. If you are more of a mellow fellow, omit the chilli and just use the chilli flakes.
The ingredients list here might look long but I assure you, the majority of it will already be found in our store cupboard (especially if you’ve made some of my other recipes!!).
POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serves 4 – per serving = 3 points or 414 cals, 15.3g fat, 35.3g carbs, 33.7g protein
Ingredients
For the curry
1 tbsp each cumin seeds and coriander seeds
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2-3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp curry powder (roasted curry powder if you have it, if not normal is fine)
1 tsp each turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt
½ tsp each cinnamon and chilli flakes
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
200g dried red lentils
1 vegetable stock cube made up with 1 litre of boiling water
200ml light coconut milk
200g fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 lemon
15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Low calorie cooking spray
Salt and black pepper
For the fish
1 ½ tsp light butter
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
4 x 90g seabass fillets (with skin), raw
Method
- Take a large saucepan, pop on the heat and dry toast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds for a minute or two until you can smell the gorgeous aromas coming off them. Pop them in a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder. Leave to one side.
- Spray the now empty pan with low-calorie cooking spray, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for 5–6 minutes until the onion is soft, adding a little water if the pan gets too dry. Next, add the crushed cumin and coriander seeds, the curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, cinnamon and chilli flakes. Fry for another minute and then add the tomatoes, lentils and vegetable stock.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils are cooked and nice and soft, stirring throughout (otherwise the lentils tend to stick). Add a splash of water if required to stop the sauce dryingout.
- Once reduced and thickened a little, pour in the coconut milk, add the spinach and keep simmering until the spinach is wilted. Season to taste and then keep the sauce warm while you cook the fish.
- For the fish, take a small bowl and mix together the butter, turmeric, garlic and coriander until well combined and soft. Rub the mix over the flesh side of your fish fillets (not on the skin side). Season the fish with salt and pepper.
- Take a large frying pan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and bring to a medium heat. Add the fish to the pan, skin-side down, and fry for 4–5 minutes. Turn over and cook for another few minutes until cooked through or to your liking. This should give you a nice crispy skin and lovely, tender fish flesh.
- To finish the curry, squeeze over the juice of half the lemon, sprinkle in the coriander and stir. Top with the fish and serve with a small slice of lemon
Sorry to be a nuisance but when does the toasted cumin and coriander seeds get added, while the lentils are cooking?
Making this just now and smells delicious.
Thanks
Sorry to be a nuisance but when does the toasted cumin and coriander seeds get added, while the lentils are cooking?
Making this just now and smells delicious.
Thanks
I made this as part of a family curry night last week and it was the star of the show!!! I’m about to make a huge batch to freeze and take to work as lunches. We used three of your lovely curry recipes for the party and everyone said how nice they were. Thanks.
90g Seabass fillets ate 4 sp each …. worth it though!
Hi Lesley, just double checked and my weight watchers app defo says 90g raw Seabass is 1sp x
Raw seabass now zero on WW Flex
Just made this earlier.. tasted fantastic !! Hubby loved it!! Thankyou
Laura – this is Absolutely gorgeous in fact it is lush amazing!!
Will definitely do this one over and over again.
Have shared your blog with a few other colleagues of mine. Xx
Nichole
Hi I’ve made the sauce and going to have it with chicken breast. How many points would that be please. I know on Flex it would be free but I prefer the SP plan.
Many thanks.
Lisa
Hi Lisa, previously it would have been 8sp on smart points with fish with the fish being 1sp. So 7sp plus the chicken ?
This is a truly delicious meal, full of flavour and simple to make. Thank you, I’ll certainly be trying some of your other recipes.
So glad you enjoyed Maya!
Oh my god! Amazing! Thanks for this recipe. The lentil curry will be a staple for lots of dishes!
Lovely nice hot and spicy ?
OMG, just had this for dinner. Absolutely lovely – the best meal I’ve had since doing WeightWatchers! Had it with salmon and have enough left for lunch tomorrow. I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes and they’ve all been lovely but this is currently wearing the crown.
Made this for dinner tonight and was so delicious and so low in points. Truly yummy – thank you Laura ?
I enjoyed this recipe but it was a little bit ‘hot’ for me, how would i make it not so ‘hot’?
thanks
Just leave the chilli out Amanda ? or if still too hot add a little fat free natural yoghurt at the end x
Cracking dish! So low in points but so tasty! I’m looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow for lunch ??
Have just made this, my first of your recipes and it was Lovely, did it with chicken. My husband was very sceptical but clear plates all round, will certainly be making more of your recipes!
Just made this with cod fillets only one word delicious. Very filling and tasty you can taste all the flavours. Think I’ll be using lentils now instead of rice. Next to Malaysian stir fry this is my new favourite.
This was delicious- used haddock instead of Seabass and courgettes instead of spinach ( just what I had in – everything else was store cupboard). We didn’t have the rice just to keep the points low and we didn’t really miss it. I will have a portion of the lentils by themselves for my lunch tomorrow.
Spoilt for choice of which of your wonderful recipes to cook next, particularly like the Korean dishes.
I’ve passed your website details onto my friends at my Weightwatchers group. Keep up the good work ! ?xx
So pleased you enjoyed it Donna! I love the lentils with chicken too 🙂 x
Just cooked this dish and it was amazing, so very tasty and very easy to cook. My hubby can’t stop talking about how yummy it was. Thank you i can’t wait to try some of your other recipes
This dinner was so delicious. I love a good curry and this will now be a staple in our household. We had ours with prawns sautéd in lurpak light, garlic and ginger xx
This was so good. A new favourite, husband has asked if we can have it again tomorrow. THANK YOU!
Laura, possibly the best of your recipes I have tried yet – who knows, every one I have tried has been delicious. Simply couldn’t tell it was a “diet” curry – so good. Just back from Sri Lanka and your recipe was equally as good as anything we ate there and we got through quite a few curries! Keep up the great work and make us a cookery book soon. Far superior recipes to what is on WW app. Xxx
Wow this is amazing!! My husband loved it too xxx
Made this last night but had it with prawns, it was amazing, and really really filling, I actually managed to get 5 portions out of this recipe, so have several now in the freezer for the days that I want to reach for something quick and easy and my hand would stray to the oven chips!! lol. Can’t wait to try some of your other delicious looking recipes. Please keep inspiring us to stay slim!!