Coconut Fish Stew With Basil and Lemongrass

By Melissa Clark

Updated February 23, 2017

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(723)
Comments
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This stew is profoundly flavored and nuanced, with pungent notes of herbs, lime and saline fish sauce softened by the coconut milk, supple seafood and rice.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced

  • 1 small garlic clove, minced

  • 2 ½ cups chicken stock

  • 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk

  • 1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped

  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, if desired, and thinly sliced

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar

  • ¾ teaspoon salt

  • Finely grated zest of 1 lime

  • ¾ pound snapper or other firm fish (cut into 1 ½-inch chunks), peeled shrimp, scallops or a combination

  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

  • Fresh lime juice, to taste

  • Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

72 grams carbs; 50 milligrams cholesterol; 887 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams saturated fat; 53 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 2140 milligrams sodium; 37 grams protein; 15 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until shallots are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in stock, coconut milk, lemongrass, jalapeño, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, salt and lime zest. Simmer for 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in seafood and herbs. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice and serve, with rice if desired. (Note: Without rice it’s more soup than stew.)

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Ratings

5 out of 5
723 user ratings
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Comments

Deb

If you make this with shrimp, clean the shrimp, boil the shells in 3 cups water for 20 minutes, strain and use that as your stock. It's amazing what flavor you get from shrimp shells....just learned this after throwing out the shells all these years. This will make a fantastic soup!!

ellen

Great recipe. I chop the lemongrass finely and put in a large tea infuser, and add to the soup. it gives up all its flavor, but you dont have to worry about trying to chew it.

HBN

A little tip with the lemon grass -- first remove the outer leaves then pound it (I use a pestle), it softens and releases the oils making it more flavorful before use. Also makes it easier to cut up.

This is definitely going into the rotation - easy, quick and delicious.

Stacey

This is such a great framework to make the fish curry you like! I added turmeric and snow peas, halved the coconut milk, and used honey for the brown sugar since I was out. It was a hit! I will try with ginger and red peppers next. This is the best kind of recipe.

AM

Super easy and delicious. Followed suggestion to decrease liquid. For a doubled recipe-used 3 cups broth and one can coconut milk, 2 lbs haddock, omitted sugar and did the rest as written.

loder

for the amount of fine prep work, the next time I'm just sign to open a can of curry paste and use that instead. Results would be the same.

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