Ecuadorian pescado encocado or fish with coconut sauce
Recipe for fish with coconut sauce or Ecuadorian pescado encocado – this delicious coastal dish consists of fish seasoned with citrus and spices and then cooked in a sauce of cilantro, onions, bell peppers and coconut milk.
This Ecuadorian fish with coconut sauce, called pescado encocado, is a traditional coastal dish of fish seasoned with citrus and spices and then cooked in a sauce of cilantro, onions, bell peppers and coconut milk.
My memories of the beaches in Ecuador always include fresh seafood and fresh coconuts, sometimes separate and sometimes together like in this delicious recipe for fish cooked in a coconut sauce, which in Ecuador is called pescado encocado or just encoca’o, which literally translates as coconutted fish.
In Ecuador this dish is made with corvina, a type of sea bass, I used halibut but any fresh fish would go well with this sauce, I’ve made it before with snapper, cod and salmon, and of course there are variations of fish encocado using shrimp, clams, crab, squid, etc.
You can use a fresh coconut to make the sauce, use both the coconut water and grated coconut flesh, but if you are in a rush – like me – you can use canned coconut milk for convenience.This is a very easy dish to make and the coconut gives it a nice twist, we eat a good amount of fish and I am constantly trying to prepare the fish in new dishes so that each time we have something a little bit different than the previous meal.
I served this pescado encocado with rice and fried ripe plantains, you can also serve it with patacones or green plantain chips instead of the sweet ripe ones, just like many Ecuadorian and South American seafood dishes having rice as a side is a must, especially when there is a rich sauce as there is nothing better than soaking it up with rice.
Pescado encocado or fish with coconut sauce
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs halibut or any other fresh fish cut in medium size chunks
- ¼ cup lime juice from about 2 limes
- Juice from 2 oranges
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp paprika or achiote powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
- 2 tbs oil
- 1 medium sized onion diced or sliced
- 2 bell peppers diced or sliced
- 4 roma tomatoes peeled and chopped
- 14 oz can of coconut milk
- 3 tbs cilantro finely chopped
- Fresh shredded coconut – optional
- Salt to taste
Side dishes:
Instructions
- Mix the lime juice, orange juice, crushed garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander powder and salt in a small bowl.
- Marinate the fish chunks for at least an hour if possible.
- Heat the oil to prepare a refrito or base for the sauce, add the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and salt, cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the coconut milk to the refrito, mix it in well and cook for about 10 minutes, if you prefer a thicker sauce you can thicken the sauce by adding ½ tsp of tapioca starch or corn starch.
- Add the fish fillets, with the marinade, cover partially and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes. The exact time will vary based on the thickness of the fish. You can also reduce the cooking time by increasing the heat if you want it ready faster.
- Add some freshly grated or shredded coconut (optional and if you have it available).
- Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice and fried ripe plantains.
Step by step preparation photos for Ecuadorian pescado encocado or fish with coconut sauce
Other Latin American variations of fish/seafood with coconut sauce to try :
Dominican Pescado con Coco recipe
Brazilian Moqueca Bahian-Style Seafood stew recipe
Nate – Just what you needed, another excuse to have more halibut! Thanks for the bookmark!
Marc – Thank you! I was just checking out your site and my mouth is watering!
Jen – I’m glad you liked it!
I’ve absolutely loved this, I made it and it was devine! Thanks so much Laylita!
Hi Laylita,
I have been blogging for about a month and was surfing around tonight checking out some new food blogs. I found you off of Cook Eat Fret. All I can say about your blog is WOWWWW!!! I love it. I am major lover of Latin American cuisine and you have just become my favorite destination. Totally blown away. Believe me, I’ll be back.
–Marc
Oh man that does look good. I just did grilled halibut last night. Wish I had some more halibut to try out this recipe!
Bookmarked on Del.icio.us
Como todas tus recetas, se ve muy rico!!!. Justo hoy compré un halibut bellisimo, asi que lo voy a hacer encocado, haber si me trasporto a esas playitas !!!!
What a yummy-looking dish! Yes, lots and lots of rice, please!
How delicious! Great combination of flavors.
WOW – this looks so yummy and what a great dish for the summer!!
This will be made!!
Cheers
Cathy
http://www.wheresmydamnanswer.com
Delicious! I love coconut milk and fish, so that dish makes me drool!
Cheers,
Rosa
Looks delicious… sounds pretty similar to Brazilian Moqueca?
Thanks, Chris. Yes, a lot of similarities between dishes in South America, coastal dishes from one country are very similar to coastal dishes from others, same thing for dishes from the highlands – but, we hate to admit it and each country (and even each city) likes to think that their dish is the best version and the most original.