To be honest, this meal is mostly about the sauce.
This simple, six ingredient sauce is tremendously delicious and goes well over veggies, meat or fish. It will elevate any meal or leftover.
Earlier this week, I mixed this sauce with steamed cauliflower as part of Matt’s lunch. That evening, he asked, “What was that sauce? It was really good. I’m not going to lie – it looked sort of boring. But it was good!” And there you go. It does look a little drab, I suppose. But it’s good!
The basic recipe came from my friend L.B. I adapted it slightly — replacing vinegar with lime juice and soy sauce with fish sauce — but did not change any measurements. Of course, you can always play around with measurements if you prefer it hotter or zippier.
Although this meal is mostly about the sauce, it’s a little bit about the fish. I don’t think I eat enough fish. I like it but not as much as I like beef even chicken. Plus, fish is a little higher maintenance. You can’t make 4 pounds of fish Sunday and use it for meals during the week. Please don’t.
Anyhow, I wanted to make a dish that used fish as the protein source. Fish is good for you, they say, rich in natural omega-3 oils. Our Whole Foods sells wild caught cod for $12.99 a pound, so I chose that. But you could use any seafood and it would be delicious because, really, it’s mostly about the sauce.
One note: This recipe makes 3-4 servings and tastes best fresh from the stove top. Plus, there’s the whole reheating fish things. Danger. So, go ahead and make this. Just make sure that you enjoy a bowl before you pack away any leftovers for lunch.
Fish and Veggie Stir Fry with Special Sauce
For sauce –
Coconut milk, ½ cup
Almond butter, ¼ cup
Sesame oil, 1 teaspoon
Paleo sriracha, 1 tablespoon (You can use and hot chili sauce. I used a garlic chili sauce I found at Whole Foods. It didn’t have any sugar but contained a few preservatives. I just went with it.)
Lime juice, 1 tablespoon
Fish sauce, ½ tablespoon (Use sugar free-fish sauce, if possible.)
Salt, to taste
For stir-fry –
Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
Broccoli, Florets from one half a head (about 2 cups)
Carrots, 2
Purple cabbage, about ¾ to 1 cup
Cod or other white fish, ¾ pound
Optional: Scallions for garnish
- Combine coconut milk, almond butter, sesame oil, hot sauce, lime juice and fish sauce. Whisk together to create sauce. Split sauce into two batches and save half for later in the week. You’ll be so happy later.
- Cut broccoli, carrots, cabbage and fish into bite into pieces.
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add broccoli and carrots, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Drain water, keeping veggies in the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add olive oil, cabbage and fish. Cover and cook until fish is flaky and done, about 6-7 minutes.
- Drain extra water, add remaining sauce and mix. Garnish with scallions if desired.