Coconut-Poached Fish with Bok Choy

Courtesy of NYT Cooking

This dish came together so beautifully in such a short amount of time all while packing a TON of flavor. I accidentally thought I had fish sauce and didn't - oops! What I did instead was doubled the brown sugar, added half a lime and added 3 teaspoons of Thai green curry paste (red would work too but will pack more heat than green). We also love mushrooms in just about anything we eat so I added maitake mushrooms for extra texture and earthiness to the dish. We served this with rice but would be great with any Asian noodle as well!

INGREDIENTS

Yield:

4 servings

4 (6-ounce) cod fillets or other flaky white fish

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

1 fresh Thai or Serrano chile, thinly sliced

2 (13½-ounce) cans coconut milk

1½teaspoons fish sauce

1teaspoon light brown sugar

About 7 ounces baby bok choy, ends trimmed and stalks separated

¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro, both leaves and tender stems

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

Lime wedges (from 1 lime), for serving

Flaky salt (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Season fish well with salt. In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic, ginger and chile, and cook, stirring often until they become translucent, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.

Step 2: Add coconut milk, fish sauce and brown sugar, and whisk together until combined and sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer. Add cod fillets and turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook until cod is just cooked through and opaque, about 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully remove the fish and plate in bowls.

Step 3: Add bok choy to the coconut milk broth and turn heat to medium-low. Cook bok choy until leaves are wilted and stems are tender, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 4: Divide bok choy evenly alongside the fish and ladle the coconut milk broth over each portion. Top with cilantro, scallions and a good squeeze of lime, and serve with remaining wedges on the side. Garnish with flaky salt, if desired.