Here's a fancy-looking seafood dinner that is ready in 15 minutes with minimal prep: Coconut Poached Fish. In this recipe, white fish simmers in a flavorful coconutty broth with hints of ginger, garlic, and shallot. I add a little chili oil for some spice (this part is totally optional).
The great thing about this recipe is that you can cook just a few pieces of fish or a big batch without increasing the the rest of the ingredients or the cook time - everything simmers in one pan.
Serve over rice with a squeeze of lime, spooning the delicious coconut broth over the rice.
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More easy delicious recipes with coconut broth: Curry Wonton Soup
Poached fish in coconut broth
This recipe can be made with any firm white fish, such as halibut or cod. I used cod this time - this is actually my favorite way to cook cod (my crispy baked breaded Cod Oreganata is a close second). Cod can be fishy, but you really don't taste the fishiness because of the aromatic flavorful coconut milk broth. Halibut is also a really great choice here, though it is pricier than cod.
The fish itself cooks in about 5 minutes, and it turns out so flaky and perfect! I've paid $25 a plate for coconut poached fish at a restaurant, so being able to make 3-4 portions for half the price is amazing!
More easy seafood recipes: Yellow Thai Fish Curry
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 pounds white fish fillets (such as cod or halibut, or any fish that doesn't fall apart when cooked)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- optional: ½ - 1 teaspoon chili oil or chili paste (to taste, or omit for no spice)
- optional: 3 mini red bell peppers, thinly sliced (or use Thai chili peppers for spice)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 14-ounce can low-fat coconut milk
- fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- cooked rice for serving
More easy weeknight seafood dinners: Baked Swai in Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce
Special equipment
- 10-14 inch skillet with a lid (depending on how much fish you want to fit in there. I was able to fit 6 pieces into a 12-inch skillet, but I could have made room for 8-9 pieces. If you have a large skillet without a big enough lid, I recommend a universal lid to solve all your lid problems forever.)
- Zester (for grating the ginger and garlic)
More easy seafood dinner ideas: White Fish Poached in Tomato Caper Sauce
Instructions
Cooking tip: if you're serving this with rice, get that going now so it is ready by the time the fish is done.
Season the fish with salt and pepper.
Preheat a large skillet. Add the coconut oil, minced shallot, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the mixture.
Add the sugar, lime juice, chili oil (if using), and sliced peppers (if using). Stir for 1 minute.
Stir in the broth and coconut milk. Give it a taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. You want to make sure the poaching liquid is tasty before you put the fish in. If it tastes bland, it probably needs more salt because the chicken broth was not salty enough. Try adding a tiny bit of Better than Bouillon chicken base, or a fraction of a bouillon cube to add flavor in addition to salt. Just be careful, the chicken base paste is VERY salty, so start with a small dab.
Gently place the fish fillets into the coconut milk mixture. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 4-6 minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked and flaky. The cook time will depend on the size and thickness of the fish.
Serve over rice. Squeeze some lime juice on top, spoon the coconut broth over the rice, and garnish with cooked peppers, extra chili crisp, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Kate's cooking tips
- This dish cooks quickly, so have all your ingredients measured and prepped before getting started.
- You can cook as many fish pieces as you can fit into your pan, just make sure to leave a little space in between each fillet.
- If you're cooking in a smaller pan (8-10 inches), reduce the broth to ½ cup and coconut milk to ¾ to start. You want about 1 inch of liquid in the pan.
- Use a firm white fish. I like cod and halibut because (1) they don't get mushy when cooked and (2) they're thicker fillets so they look nice sticking out of the coconut broth. Perch is OK too, if you can find nice thick fillets.
- Feel free to add some Thai curry paste (yellow or red curry would be great here) along with the sugar, lime juice, and chili oil. This will add a different flavor to the dish.
- Add more veggies: increase the amount of mini bell peppers, or stir in some baby spinach into the broth before adding the fish.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Coconut Poached Fish (15 Minute Dinner!)
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 pounds white fish fillets (such as cod or halibut)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 shallot finely minced
- 1 inch piece ginger peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- optional: ½ - 1 teaspoon chili oil (to taste, or omit for no spice)
- optional: 3 mini red bell peppers thinly sliced (or use Thai chili peppers for spice)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 14- ounce can low-fat coconut milk
- fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
- cooked rice for serving
Special equipment
- 10-14 inch skillet with a lid (depending on how much fish you want to fit), or a large skillet and a universal lid
- Zester (for grating the ginger and garlic)
Instructions
- If you're serving this with rice, get that going now so it is ready by the time the fish is done.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the coconut oil, minced shallot, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the mixture.
- Add the sugar, lime juice, chili oil (if using), and sliced peppers (if using). Stir for 1 minute.
- Stir in the broth and coconut milk. Give it a taste and season with additional salt, broth concentrate, or pepper, if needed. Tip: You want to make sure the poaching liquid is tasty before you put the fish in. Try adding a tiny bit of Better than Bouillon chicken base, or a fraction of a bouillon cube to add flavor in addition to salt.
- Gently place the fish fillets into the coconut milk mixture. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 4-6 minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked and flaky. The cook time will depend on the size and thickness of the fish.
- Serve over rice. Squeeze some lime juice on top, spoon the coconut broth over the rice, and garnish with cooked peppers, extra chili crisp, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kate Vaynshteyn
Thursday 1st of January 2026
This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to cook fish, and the coconut poaching liquid is so tasty, I could eat it as a soup broth. I hope you give this one a try and like it as much as we do!