I have been working with lemongrass as a flavoring quite a bit lately. It finds itself in ice teas, ice creams, and now in savory dishes like this one. I enjoy the flavor that comes from lime zest, but I find the subtle scent of lemon grass makes the perfect substitute. Also, its grassy undertones elevate the dish in ways that lime zest alone can’t compete with. So, I decided to try it in this fish recipe. Coconut milk, lemongrass, a hint of curry, and other complex Caribbean flavors make their way into this luscious and incredibly simple end-of-the-week, supper dish.

The University of the Virgin Islands here on St. Croix raise sustainable fish on their campus. They offer it for sale to the public everyday from 9-4pm. As with all things on the island, I would call ahead to find out if they have any that day. Their number is 340-692-4020. You can get great tasting, great priced Red Tilapia filleted fresh for you right here on the island! Check them out!

There is so much available to us, in terms of local ingredients! And I love working with each and every one, and twisting it in tasty new ways! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia Fillets

2 Tablespoons Brown Butter (Or unsalted butter)

2 cups of Coconut Milk (Coconut Milk)

1 Stalk of Fresh Lemongrass or the zest of one Lime

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme

(a bit less than) 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Chipotle Pepper (Or any smoked paprika)

A pinch of Curry Powder (less than 1/8 teaspoon)

3-4 Medium Sized Cloves of Garlic (finely diced)

1/2 of a Whole Red Bell Pepper (sliced)

2 Tablespoons of Cilantro or 1 Stalk of Culantro

1 Small Spanish Onion (diced)

1/2 Small Tomato (diced)

Salt and Pepper (To Taste)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (enough to coat the bottom of a pan)

Heat a pan with enough olive oil to coat the bottom.

Add garlic, onions, curry powder, tomatoes, bell peppers, thyme, black pepper, and ground Chipotle pepper.

Chipotle is a very hot spice, so use just a touch of it. Remember, you can always add pepper, but you can’t take it out.

Also, even though curry makes an appearance here it is really just a background spice and not the main flavoring. Just a pinch of it will do. Use your senses in the kitchen and constantly taste your food as it is being prepared to see if it fits your taste. If it suits your palette then it tastes good!!

Saute this mixture until the red peppers are unapologetically softened. You don’t want crispy bites of pepper in this dish. You simply want the pepper to melt into that first bite, not be the first ingredient you taste. This may take about twenty or so minutes, but it is the only way to make sure the peppers are completely, limply, softened.

Continue to add coconut milk in 1/4 cup intervals to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan. As it dries out add some more.

This is not the stage to walk away from the pan. Doing it this way does two things: one it allows the flavors time to develop; and it also concentrates the coconut flavor in this dish.

I always use fresh coconut milk, which has a different texture than what you sometimes find in the cans. Canned coconut milk has added stabilizers and gum to thicken it. Natural coconut milk is silken and smooth. If you are using coconut milk try to find ones without stabilizers and thickeners. One of my favorites, outside of the fresh is the Goya brand, but experiment. If you can find organic coconut milk, even better!

 

 

Add the lemongrass stalk, and browned butter. If you don’t have fresh lemongrass stalks, you can simply try dried lemongrass. Although, I have never used dried lemongrass, or you could simply substitute the zest of a small lime.

Brown butter is simply butter that has been gently boiled until the solids in the butter separate, settle to the bottom of the pan, and brown. I make one pound batches and refrigerate or freeze it. I use it in many of the dishes I create. If you don’t feel like making the browned butter, you can simply use regular unsalted butter, the flavors will develop nicely regardless. I just prefer the nuttiness of browned butter. Just please do not use margarine or a fat free butter substitutes. For this dish you have to use the real thing! It is a rich and flavorful dish and worth the few extra calories!

Add the Tilapia fillets gently into the sauce, and let it simmer on a low flame until the fish is cooked through.

Tilapia is a very resilient fish, and it can take a long slow cooking without becoming dried out or tough. I use a gentle flame at this point to give the fish a chance to absorb as much of the flavor as possible without risking toughening.

In the last few minutes of cooking add the cilantro. I prefer adding cilantro closer to the end of a dish to keep as much of its grassy flavor as possible. If you hate cilantro, you can substitute a bit of parsley.

Serve with black beans and rice:

 

 Or another simple option of steamed broccoli! Enjoy!