I have met some truly incredible people in the four years since I started blogging: one of them is my friend Melissa Lanz. I first encountered Melissa “virtually” in an online food writing class over a year ago, and in that class, I learned that Melissa is a very talented writer. I’ve since met her in person and know her to be a brilliant businesswomen, as well as a very beautiful person, both inside and out.
Melissa is the founder of The Fresh 20, a meal planning service that focuses on helping busy families eat well, at home, together. The Fresh 20 philosophy revolves around shopping for 20 fresh, seasonal ingredients that you can use to make 5 easy, healthy weeknight meals. Her system can help you not just eat better, but save time, money, and reduce waste, too.
Like I said, Melissa is brilliant. And now she’s also the author of a cookbook!
The Fresh 20: 20-Ingredient Meal Plans for Health and Happiness 5 Nights a Week
is a companion to Melissa’s online business, but it’s a fabulous cookbook on its own. She sent me a copy to review and I can’t say enough good things about it: the recipes are great and it is beautifully photographed by her husband, Trent Lanz.
I shopped for and cooked a week’s worth of meals as per the book’s instructions back in June and they were all terrific: this Coconut Curry-Style Fish Soup was one of them.
If you’ve been reading my site for a while, you probably know that I am crazy for soup, and that soups made with coconut milk are a particular favorite of mine. I’ve now happily added this one to my repertoire. I added a handful of minced Thai basil and a minced hot chile pepper (both from my garden) to the recipe to spice it up a bit and found that it’s wonderful both hot and cold, so give it a go even if the weather in your neck of the woods doesn’t necessarily have you thinking about soup yet.
I loved this soup topped with some kimchi, and you can serve it with Asian hot sauce, too, if you like. I recommend giving this recipe for homemade sriracha a try.
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Recipe for Coconut Curry-Style Fish Soup
Ingredients
For the coconut curry-style fish:
- *1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless fish fillets (any variety), at least 1 inch thick (I used wild Alaskan sablefish aka black cod that I purchased from Vital Choice)
- *1 tablespoon organic coconut oil the recipe calls for grapeseed oil but I prefer coconut oil
- *1/2 medium red onion finely chopped
- *1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- *2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- *1 pint grape tomatoes cut in half if large
- *1 teaspoon ground cumin
- *1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- *1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- *1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper I omitted this in favor of using a fresh chile pepper
- *1 1/2 cups coconut milk I used one can of organic "whole" coconut milk
- *handful of fresh basil preferable Thai basil, minced (note that this does not appear in the original recipe)
- *1 tablespoon finely chopped chives I left these out and added a minced hot chile pepper instead
For the lime coconut rice:
- *1 cup coconut milk
- *2 limes juiced
- *1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- *2 cups cooked brown rice
Instructions
For the coconut curry-style fish:
- 1. Wash the fish and pat very dry. Cut into 2-inch pieces.
- 2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and saute until softened, about 3 minutes.
- 3. Add the tomatoes and saute for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently to break up the tomatoes.
- 4. Add the cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes.
- 5. Add the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer, add the fish, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the fish is opaque throughout.
- 6. Serve over rice with a sprinkle of chives as garnish.
For the lime coconut rice:
- 1. Bring the coconut milk, lime juice, and salt to a low simmer.
- 2. Stir in the prepared brown rice and cook for 5 minutes until heated through and some of the liquid is absorbed.
