Nicco's Fijian Fish Dish. Sole, Cilantro & Red Onion with Coconut Cream Sauce over Lime and Cilantro Rice.
Want to hear me ramble about this one? Read the whole story.
Recipe Supplies:
• Sole (2 lbs. Or any light white fish... we used rabbit fish in Fiji, but I can't find that at Lazy Archers).
• Egg (1)
• White onion (1)
• Red Onion (1)
• Cilantro (bushel)
• Panko (enough to crust fish)
• Coconut Cream (1 can)
• Cayanne (to taste)
• Tarragon (to taste)
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• Onion and Garlic Powder (to taste)
Rice Supplies:
• Jasmine Rice (1 1/2 cup)
• Lime (6)
• Kerrygold Butter (enough for rice)
Instructions:
Chop the cilantro, onions, and slice your limes.
Start cooking the rice — either in a pan or a rice cooker.
Next, make your sauce. Pour a can of coconut cream into a frying pan on low heat and slowly bring up the temperature. Season with salt, onion and garlic powder, cayenne, tarragon, and a little lime to taste. You want a little kick and lots of flavor in the sauce. Once you like the taste, keep stirring and keep the sauce warm in the pan.
For the fish, whisk an egg into a small bowl and coat each piece. Pat a generous (but not too much) amount of panko on both sides of each piece of fish. You want to taste fish with a little crunch of panko… not the other way around. Then season with salt and pepper, onion and garlic powder, and cayenne.
Bring everything together.
By now, the rice should be cooked. Mix in enough butter to coat the rice. Then add salt and pepper. Finally, add a hefty amount of the cut cilantro and squeeze in the juice of a few limes (roll the limes on a cutting board first to get maximum juice). Stir everything and taste. You want a nice flavor of lime, cilantro, and buttery rice. Season more if something is missing (lime, salt, cilantro, etc.).
In another frying pan, bring the heat up to medium/high (not too high — you don’t want to burn the panko). Melt butter and EVOO to generously coat the pan. Once the pan is hot, cook your fish (usually only a few minutes on each side). You want a nice browning on the panko without drying out your fish or overcooking it.
Once the fish is done, lay down a bed of rice on each plate, top with a piece of fish, and pour on a decent amount of coconut cream sauce. Finish with a large amount of chopped cilantro and onion, and squeeze a lime wedge over the top.
