Coconut-crusted Coley Fillets with Cucumber Shallot Pickled Salad

I can't believe it took me so long to discover pouting. It's like cod with the price tag torn off. Another great sustainable fish is coley, also known as the "poor man's cod". Its flesh is not as pretty as cod, because it's a little grey, but it's a tasty fish with a light texture too, and is highly praised by British chefs like High Fearnley-Whittingstall.

This is a very light refreshing dish, inspired by classic southeast asian flavours like coconut, rice vinegar, shallots and pickled cucumber.

Coconut-crusted Coley Fillets

serves 2 (as a light lunch/starter)

Ingredients

2 coley fillets

1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes (+pinch of sea salt)

1 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp fish sauce

white pepper

1 tbsp coconut oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Pat dry and season the pouting fillets with the fish sauce ginger and pepper.

3. Lay fish on a baking dish greased with coconut oil, and sprinkle the coconut flakes over the top of the fish.

4. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes (depends on thickness of the fish. You can poke gently with a fork to test for done-ness). Switch to 'broil' for the coconut flakes to toast and brown a little just before the fish is done (or dry toast on a pan and then sprinkle over, if you don't want to risk over-cooking the fish).

Cucumber and Shallot Pickled Salad

serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 cucumber

1 shallot (I used banana shallot, which is milder and sweeter)

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tsp unrefined cane sugar

1/2 tsp fish sauce

pinch of chilli powder

Method

1. Halve the cucumber so you can lay it flat, then slice thinly into little semicircles. Same goes for the shallot.

2. Combine all ingredients and toss well, let sit for at least a couple of hours, preferably longer. This only gets better.

Finish with fresh coriander. It might be a good idea to serve the salad beside, not below the fish instead, makes eating easier.. That said, the sharp pickled cucumbers and shallots really bring out the fragrant aroma of toasted coconut and coley. I also had it with sambal tumis (I will share the recipe soon) and I would say the sambal chilli is also a must, but maybe that's just me hehe.

This is part of Full Plate Thursday, Mangia Monday, Tuesday Night Supper Club and Tasty Tuesday.

Homemade Coconut Butter

I just love coconut. Adding coconut milk to any soups or curries immediately imparts a sweetness and fragrance. Apart from butter, I think this is one of my (not so) secret tricks to elevating any dish. And if you're worried about saturated fat, you really ought not to be, because our body needs saturated fat in order to be healthy. Coconut oil is also high in lauric acid, which is the only other source of which is found in mother's breast milk, and the medium-chain fatty acids actually BOOST your metabolism, so contrary to popular belief, coconut does not make you fat nor does it cause disease.

So, when I chanced upon Heather's recipe for coconut butter, I just had to try it! It's really easy and requires nothing that you can't get from the supermarket.

Homemade Coconut Butter

Ingredients

unsweetened dried coconut flakes (try to look for those without added preservatives or anti-caking agents)

Method

1. Blend until you get it to pouring consistency. Be patient.

If you have a food processor, just leave it on to do its work.

If you only have a hand blender like me, well, flex your thumb.

This is not going to work.

It's working, it's working..I think?

It worked, It worked!

Refrigerate for a few hours to let it set and solidify. Coconut butter will be solid at room temperature, you can warm it up a bit by running hot water over it (closed!), but it will never be like butter. It's more like...all-natural nut butters you get, which can be a bit dry. I might add some unrefined coconut oil the next time while blending, to get a smoother spread.

Oh and it's not for cooking. I thought at first I created virgin coconut oil that I can use for cooking with and save myself some money, but when I added it to a hot pan, it toasted (very very yummy smell though). So, think peanut butter vs peanut oil. Coconut butter has the oil plus the..actual body? fibre? of the coconut, so use it for spreads (albeit a rather tough one) instead, or you can blend it with dates etc to make desserts or bars. I just eat it straight from the jar (:

This is part of Monday Mania, Fightback Friday, Pennywise Platter Thursday and Real Food Wednesday.

Carrot, Cardamom and Coconut Soup

More carrot soup!

After trying the classic combination flavours, I wanted to try something new. I've got a half-used packet of coconut milk in the fridge so I thought of carrot and coconut, then I wanted something zesty to make the soup more refreshing, so I thought of cardamom! No, it's not because of the 'c' alliteration. Ok maybe a bit. With some ginger (not in the name because it starts with a 'g'. no, really!) and A BLENDER, I know I'm all set!

Carrot, Cardamom and Coconut Soup

serves 2-4

Ingredients

3 large carrots (about 450g), peeled and chopped

1 large onion, chopped finely

1" ginger, chopped finely

3 cardamom pods

1/4 cup (60 ml) of thick coconut milk + 1/4 cup water (or just use 1/2 cup coconut milk)

sea salt, pepper

1 tbsp butter

To serve

(opt) a bit more thick coconut milk/coconut cream

Method

1. Melt 1 tbsp butter over medium high heat in a big pot, then add the onions and ginger and cook till onions become translucent, then add the carrots and cook a further 3 min or so till onions just start to brown.

2. Crush the cardamom pods and add (esp the seeds!), cooking about 1 more min.

3. Add the water, and let it cook for 20-25 min until the carrots are tender. Remove the cardamom pod shells.

4. Add the coconut milk and blend the mixture until you get a smooth puree. (Ah I've waited so long for this moment! Why did I scrimp on this for the longest time?)

5. To serve, swirl in a bit more of the thick coconut milk/cream.

I love love love this soup. It's got the sweetness of the carrot, the richness of the coconut milk, balanced by that hint of sharp ginger and the wonderful fragrance of cardamom. That's why it says serves 2-4...

This is an entry for Pennywise Platter Thursday, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.