Steve Phelps, chef and owner at Indigenous, crafts dishes that are both impressive and approachable, like this Thai green curry fish dip. The simple ingredients in this creamy complement to crackers or fresh veggies is just a sample of what you’ll find at his Sarasota restaurant.

Serves 4–5

GREEN CURRY PASTE

• ½ cup onion, diced
• ½ cup lemongrass, chopped
• ½ cup ginger root, grated
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 cup basil, chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 red Thai bird chiles, sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• ⅓ cup fish sauce
• ⅓ cup lime juice
• ½ tbsp. curry powder
• ½ tbsp. ground cumin
• ½ tbsp. ground coriander
• ½ tbsp. brown sugar

PREPARATION: Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until as smooth as possible. Set aside.

THAI GREEN CURRY FISH DIP

• 1 lb. cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 4 tbsp. green curry paste 
• 24 oz. baked whitefish (such as grouper, snapper, halibut, walleye or perch), chopped 
• Salt and pepper

PREPARATION: Place cream cheese, mayo and curry paste into a food processor. Blend until smooth and place in a mixing bowl. Stir in fish. Season with salt and pepper.