Fish in coconut milk — peixe com leite de coco

🥥🐟 Fish pieces gently simmered with coconut milk, tomato, ginger and lime in a fragrant, mild sauce.

Ingredients

• 🐟 800 g firm-fleshed fish fillets, skinless and checked for bones (tilapia, grouper or market fish)
• 🥥 400 ml unsweetened coconut milk
• 🍅 300 g ripe chopped tomatoes
• 🧅 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 🧄 3 crushed garlic cloves
• 🫚 2 cm fresh grated ginger
• 🫗 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 🍋 1 lime: juice and wedges for serving
• 🌶️ 1 small fresh piri-piri chilli, optional; offer more separately
• 🧂 3 g fine salt, added gradually
• 🌿 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, optional
• 🍚 Plain rice or xima to serve, not included in the nutrition estimates

Preparation

Keep fish refrigerated while preparing. Check for bones with clean fingers and tweezers, then cut fillets into four similarly sized pieces. Pat dry and set on a clean plate; keep the board and knife separate from raw vegetables.

Heat oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent but not brown. Moderate heat builds a gentle base that does not overpower the fish.

Add garlic, ginger and optional piri-piri; stir for 1 minute, just until fragrant. Add tomatoes and half the salt. Cook uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes collapse and lose their raw taste.

Pour in coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not boil hard: vigorous bubbling can separate the fat from the liquid. Taste before adding remaining salt because reduction concentrates seasoning.

Place fish pieces in one layer in the sauce. Spoon sauce over them, partially cover and simmer gently for 6–10 minutes depending on thickness. Avoid stirring with a spoon; gently shake the pot or baste the fish to keep pieces intact.

Check the thickest piece with a clean thermometer: the centre must reach 63°C. Flesh turns opaque and flakes, but thickness sets the time; cook in short increments if needed without a rolling boil.

Remove from heat, add lime juice and optional coriander, then taste. Adjust salt only now. Rest covered for 3 minutes so the sauce rounds out without continuing to boil the fish.

Serve hot with rice or xima, greens and lime wedges. Tell guests that the dish contains fish and coconut, and offer piri-piri separately. Use a clean serving utensil and do not return a partly eaten piece to the pot.