Fish in Coconut Broth (Pescado en Salsa de Coco)

Ingredients

• 4 red snapper fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)

• Juice of 2 limes

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 medium white onion, diced

• 1 celery stalk, diced

• 1 serrano chile, minced

• 1 ripe tomato, chopped

• ½ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

• 1 cup shrimp stock (recipe follows)

• 1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• ½ cup coarsely chopped mint

• ½ cup toasted shredded coconut

Instructions

Rinse the snapper and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix the lime juice and half of the garlic together, rub it on both sides of the fish and let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery, Serrano, and remaining garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the tomato and white wine, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, to break down the tomatoes and evaporate the liquid. Pour in the stock and coconut milk, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over a medium-high flame. Scrape off the garlic from the snapper so it won’t burn and season both sides with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. When the oil begins to smoke, lay the fillets in the pan. Gently press the fish with a spatula to brown, about 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the fish to the coconut-broth mixture, browned-side up. Toss in the mint, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes to finish cooking the fish all the way through. Serve the snapper with a ladleful of sauce and garnish with the toasted coconut.