Lemony Snicket

I have no idea what to call this. I made up the recipe by combining two... Salmon with Lemongrass and Coconut Sauce and Thai Fish Curry, which was already my adaptation of someone else's recipe. The salmon recipe comes from one of my favorite books ever- Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice. It's fabulous- both the recipe and the book. I can't have soy sauce, but I love Asian food, so... I'm beginning to get a bit weird.
So, um... it was tasty. Not sure these flavors really belong together. I probably have the wrath of several small, impoverished Asian states aimed at me for slaughtering their cuisine... or perhaps for combining their cuisine with that of their mortal enemy.

So... my weirdness...

Thai Lemony Fish Curry (yeah... that's it)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 can coconut milk
1 lemon
1 stalk lemongrass
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 servings of firm fish (mine was already in chunks)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, or combination of coconut and palm oil
about 1 tsp mild curry powder (to taste)
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
green beans or peas... optional
salt to taste

PREPARATION:
1. Pour the coconut milk into a wide-bottomed, shallow saucepan (with lid).
2. Cut the remaining zest off in big pieces with a vegetable peeler or paring knife.
3. Cut the lemongrass in 4- to 5-inch lengths (soak first, if using dried), then split these in half.
4. Add the big pieces of lemon zest and the lemongrass to the coconut milk and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 7 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, juice the lemon and dissolve the arrowroot completely in the lemon juice. In a separate pan (sorry... too many dirty dishes) heat oil. Add sliced onion and saute just a few minutes- leave it a little crisp. Add curry powder and cook an additional minute. Remove from heat.
6. Add the fish sauce to the coconut milk and simmer another 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the lemon peel and lemongrass from the coconut milk.
7. Rinse and pat dry the fish fillets (or bits), then place them gently in the simmering sauce. Plop onion mixture on top of fish, and add green beans, if using. Replace cover and cook until done, 5-10 minutes. If using peas instead, add them the last two minutes.
8. Transfer the fish to plates. (Part of the original instructions, proved impossible with fish bits and veggies... so, I ignored it.)
9. Whisk (stir, if pan still full of fish) the lemon juice-arrowroot mixture into the coconut milk. It should thicken immediately. Turn off the heat. Taste the sauce and add salt, if needed. Sprinkle strands of zest on top and serve immediately. I put mine over rice.

It was powerfully lemony, light on the curry... still needs some adjustments, I think.