This elegant dish of fish fillets poached in coconut milk was prepared and served to us by simple fisherman in the small town of Calderitas on the Mexican Caribbean coast. My husband Russ had struck up a conversation with them. He loves to fish and is very fluent in Spanish, so they were amigos in no time at all. This new friendship culminated in our being served this delectable dish, one we have never seen on a menu in Mexico or in any Mexican cookbook.
Their coconut milk was freshly made using an ingenious, homemade device, a circular grater attached to a stationary bicycle. The grated coconut was soaked in hot water and the milk was squeezed out by hand. It could not have been any simpler and it worked. You can use unsweetened canned coconut milk or make your own coconut milk, as I have been doing since our big harvest of homegrown, organic coconuts a few days ago.
After they made the coconut milk, one of the fishermen stepped into the surf and cast a net. He had obviously been doing this for a while and after a few casts, had enough fish for the pot. We looked at each other in amazement and delight. There is freshly prepared food. And then there is freshly caught and prepared food.
You could use any mild, boneless white fish fillets. This recipe multiplies easily.
Fish Fillets Poached in Coconut Milk
serves 2
- 1/3 cup (80 ml.) celery, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup (80 ml.) onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml.)vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 (360 ml.) cups coconut milk
- 12 oz. (340 grams) fish fillets
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml.) Mexican oregano
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- cilantro for garnish
- cooked rice, optional
- Heat a medium-sized skillet with vegetable oil over medium-low heat.
- Sauté onion and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Turn off the heat to allow pan to cool slightly. Add coconut milk to pan. (If the pan is too hot, the coconut milk will curdle, but this does not affect the taste of the dish.)
- Return to heat and place fillets in the coconut milk. Sprinkle with oregano.
- Cover the pan and bring slowly back to a gentle simmer over low heat.
- Cook 8-9 minutes per 1 inch of thickness (measuring thickest part of fillet). If the thickness of the fillets varies greatly, place the thinnest fillets in the pan a minutes or two after the thickest ones go it.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro.
Notes:
This recipe is given exactly as it was prepared for us in Calderitas by the fishermen. Remembering that there are no rules in cooking, feel free to add sliced poblano chiles, red bell pepper, or any other vegetables that appeal to you when sautéing the onion and celery.
The fillets were served to us in bowls with the coconut broth, and we ate it soup-like. I serve it the same way, or over rice.
#1 by madobras on August 27, 2011 - 8:07 pm
Great story and recipe. I’ve been living on the Pacific coast of Mexico in Guerrero and lamenting the lack of coconut in the culinary culture of Mexico. I’m glad to see it may not be as lacking over on the gulf coast then. My favorite dishes in Thai food are generally the ones made in a coconut milk base and it left me wondering why a place with so many coconuts seems to only eat them young or prepare the mature ones as sweets.
#2 by Cooking in Mexico on August 27, 2011 - 10:16 pm
Except for this one recipe, I can’t remember seeing coconut in a traditional savory Mexican dish. I, too, have wondered why it does not play a more prominent role in Mexican cuisine, besides the overly sweet confection. Perhaps we do not realize how traditional Mexican cooks really are. Coconuts are not indigenous to Mexico, and really, the traditional recipes use the foods native to Mexico, tomatoes excepted. I hope you are able to make coconut milk from freshly grated coconut, and use it in Thai recipes.