Ingredients
Fish
- 800 greef fish, in thick steaks
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- black pepper
The pot
- 500 mlthick coconut cream
- 2onions, sliced
- 3garlic cloves, crushed
- 2tomatoes, chopped
- 1chilli, chopped, optional
- 3cm ginger, sliced, optional
Greens
- 300 gaibika leaves
- or 300 g spinach or pumpkin tips
- water, for washing
To serve
- boiled sweet potato or taro
- rice
- sago, in some provinces
Directions
- Use the thick part from the top of the tin. Grate the flesh of a mature coconut. Add a little warm water to it. Squeeze it hard in a clean cloth. The first pressing is the thick cream.
- Cut it into thick even steaks. Thick pieces hold together in the sauce. Rinse the fish steaks under cold water. Rub them with lime juice and salt. Let them sit for fifteen minutes. Rinse the lime off before cooking.
- Season it again with salt and pepper. Preparing the greens takes the longest. Pick the leaves from their stems. Discard any thick or woody stalks. Wash them in several changes of cold water. Lift them out rather than pouring the water off.
- Shake the leaves dry in a colander. Chop them roughly if the leaves are large. Put the sliced onions in a wide pan. Add about half the coconut cream. Add the crushed garlic and the ginger. Warm it gently over a low heat. Never let coconut cream boil hard.
- Let the onion soften for about eight minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and the chilli. Let them break down for about five minutes. Add the rest of the coconut cream. Season it with salt and black pepper.
- Lay the fish steaks into the sauce. Do not stir the pan after this point. Cover it and simmer very gently. Give the fish about eight minutes. Add the washed greens over the fish. They collapse down within a few minutes.
- Taste it and adjust the salt to suit. Serving it is done piping hot. Lift the fish out carefully onto plates. Spoon the greens and sauce over it. Serve boiled sweet potato or taro alongside. It keeps two days refrigerated.
Technique
- Papua New Guinea has over eight hundred languages, more than any other country, and its food varies as widely, with the Highlands eating root crops and the coast and islands eating fish and coconut.
- Aibika, Abelmoschus manihot, is one of the most eaten greens in the region and is related to okra rather than to spinach, with slightly mucilaginous leaves.
- Fish simmered in coconut cream is a Melanesian pattern shared with the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and much of the Pacific.
Substitutions
- Spinach or pumpkin tips stand in for aibika.
- Tinned coconut cream works well, using the thick part from the top of the tin.
Variations
- Some cooks add ginger or chilli to the pot.
- A version cooked in a mumu, the earth oven, is made for feasts.
- Similar dishes are cooked across the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
History
Coastal and island provinces build meals on reef fish and coconut, a pattern shared across Melanesia and distinct from the Highlands’ root-crop diet.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fish in Coconut Cream?
Fish in Coconut Cream is a main from Papua New Guinea: fresh reef fish simmered in coconut cream with greens, coastal staple. Coastal and island provinces build meals on reef fish and coconut, a pattern shared across Melanesia and distinct from the Highlands’ root-crop diet.
How long does Fish in Coconut Cream take to make?
Fish in Coconut Cream takes 20 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Fish in Coconut Cream?
Yes, within limits. Spinach or pumpkin tips stand in for aibika. Tinned coconut cream works well, using the thick part from the top of the tin.
What is the most important thing to get right in Fish in Coconut Cream?
Season it again with salt and pepper. Preparing the greens takes the longest. Pick the leaves from their stems. Discard any thick or woody stalks. Wash them in several changes of cold water. Lift them out rather than pouring the water off.
