Recipe: Fish with Coconut

Recipe Source: Husain, Shehzad and Rafi Fernandez. Indian: Deliciously Authentic Dishes.  Anness Publishing, London, 2003 p. 131

Fish has really become the main protein of my diet.  This is a good thing.  Most fish are low in fat, and those that are higher in fat tend to have the "good" fats that our bodies need to function.  Of course, if you drench your fish in butter or deep-fry it in a combination of lard and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, all bets are off, but fish isn't really at its best when it's cooked that way.  I like to cook my fish with flavors that compliment the natural taste of the fish.  After all, I certainly don't need to add fat to my diet!  Anyway, I found this easy recipe in the book mentioned above.  It cooks up very quickly, so be sure to have your ingredients prepped and ready by the time you start cooking! 

I did make a few changes.  I used only one tablespoon of olive oil instead of two of corn oil.  Olive oil is our staple cooking fat around here, and I prefer to cook with less oil if I can.  I omitted the onion seeds, simply because I didn't have them on hand.  I used four garlic cloves, because the one left over would have fallen behind the cabinet where the garlic lives.  I used a 14 oz can of tomatoes for convenience and because tomatoes really haven't come into season.  I also used more cilantro than was called for in the original, simply because I wanted more green in the dish and because I like cilantro. 

Fish with Coconut (serves 4; approx. $2.30/serving)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 dried red chilies (or more, depending on your tastes and the type of chilies you have)

4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 14 oz can tomatoes

2 tablespoons dried shredded coconut

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 package frozen sole fillets, completely thawed

2/3 cup water

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Equipment:

• Wok

1. Heat the oil in your wok.
2. Add the chilies, garlic and onion.  Cook for 3 - 4 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, coconut, salt and coriander.  Stir well.
4. Add the fish fillets.  Coat them well in the pan mixture and cook for 5 - 7 minutes.  You can lower the heat if you need to.
5. Add the water, lime juice and cilantro.  Cook another 3 - 5 minutes until most of the water has evaporated.
6. Serve.

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