Seafood lovers will go mad for this aromatic Thai-style curry featuring prawns, clams, scallops, squid and bream.

Ingredients

  • 5 small thai shallots, roughly chopped
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 4 thai green chillies, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp white peppercorns
  • 4cm/1½in piece fresh ginger or galangal
  • 10g/⅓oz shrimp paste
  • 20g coriander, stalks and leaves separated, leaves reserved
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 20g/¾oz palm sugar
  • 4 tbsp thai fish sauce
  • 100ml/3½fl oz rice wine
  • 3 baby aubergines, halved
  • 225g tin bamboo shoots
  • 100g/3½oz french beans
  • 1 litre/1¾ pint chicken stock
  • 3 stems green peppercorns
  • 6 lime leaves
  • 250g/9oz live clams, scrubbed and debearded
  • 6 large raw tiger prawns, heads removed, shells removed, de-veined and butterflied
  • 3 scallops, shells removed, cut in half
  • 2 medium squid, cleaned, flesh cut into small pieces and scored
  • 2 medium bream or snapper fillets, cut into 4 pieces
  • 1 large bunch thai basil, leaves torn
  • 2 tbsp thai basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves
  • 2 tbsp mint leaves
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced

Directions

  1. To make the curry paste, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend together until smooth. Set aside.
  2. To make the curry, heat the oil in a large, lidded sauté pan on a medium heat, add 2–3 tablespoons of the paste and cook out for 3–4 minutes.
  3. Add the sugar, fish sauce, rice wine, vegetables, chicken stock, green peppercorns and lime leaves to the pan and bring to a simmer.
  4. Discard any clams with broken shells and any that refuse to close when tapped, then add the remaining clams to the curry. Place a lid on the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until the clams have opened. Discard any clams that remain closed. Add the remaining fish and cook for a few minutes until the prawns are cooked through.
  5. Finely chop the reserved coriander leaves and stir through the curry, alongside the basil leaves.
  6. Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with the basil, coriander and mint leaves and red chilli.