Coconut Fish and Tomato Bake

Amarante

Wed, Aug 30 2023, 10:48 am

My friend who NEVER cooks sent me this recipe and raved about it. Intrigued by her enthusiasm, I had to try it and it lived up to her hype - one of those recipes which tastes more difficult than it is to make

I made it with salmon but any flavorful fish would work

Coconut Fish and Tomato Bake

Yield: 4 servings

A coconut-milk dressing infused with garlic, ginger, turmeric and lime coats fish fillets in this sheet-pan dinner. Accompanying the fish are bright bursts of tomatoes which turn jammy under the broiler and relinquish some of their juices to the pan sauce. This sauce is silky enough to coat a spoon and packed with flavor. It pairs well with anything from snapper to flounder and even salmon, so choose the fillets that look best at the market. You’ll want to sop up the sauce with thick slices of grilled or toasted baguette, or spoon it over steamed rice.

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, scrubbed and finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt
2 limes
½ cup chopped cilantro
4 (6-ounce) fish fillets, such as snapper, haddock, striped bass, fluke, sablefish or salmon, skin on or off
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil

PREPARATION

In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, ginger, garlic, turmeric, red-pepper flakes, honey and 1 teaspoon salt.

Zest and juice 1 lime directly into the coconut milk mixture. Stir in ¼ cup chopped cilantro. Add the fish fillets and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Arrange another rack in the position closest to the broiler heat source. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Place the tomatoes on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and toss to coat. Place the marinated fish between the tomatoes and spoon all the marinade from the bowl over the fish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the fish. Transfer the pan to the lower-middle rack and roast until the surface of the fish is opaque but the center is not cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. The fish should not flake easily with a fork. Remove the pan from the oven and heat the broiler to high.

Move the pan to the broiler and finish cooking, rotating the pan once, until the fish is tender and the tomatoes are just beginning to brown in spots, 5 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. Slice the remaining lime into wedges.

Divide the tomatoes and fish among dishes and tip the pan juices over the fish. Garnish with the remaining ¼ cup cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.