Easy Encocado de Pescado Recipe
Encocado de Pescado (Fish in Coconut Sauce) is a popular Ecuadorian dish where fish meets creamy coconut sauce and bold spices! This coastal recipe delivers big flavor with minimal effort, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner or Sunday lunch.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon achiote oil or regular oil if you don't have achiote
- 1 small white onion finely diced, use ½ onion if it is large
- 1 small bell pepper finely diced, whatever color you prefer, generally red, yellow and orange are a bit sweeter than green. Use ½ bell pepper if particularly large.
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder or veggie powder
- ½ teaspoon salt add more to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 15 oz can of full fat coconut milk or coconut cream, both work well.
- 1 pound mahi mahi fish or other white fish, cut into 1-2 inch chunks.
- ½ lime juiced
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the achiote oil (or regular cooking oil) in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the diced onion, bell pepper and garlic to the pan. Sauté until soft and fragrant.1 tablespoon achiote oil, 1 small white onion, 1 small bell pepper, 3 garlic cloves
- Season with cumin, paprika, chicken bouillon powder, and salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the can of coconut milk to the skillet. Stir well and allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Add lime juice. Taste it before adding the fish to see if the sauce is to your liking. If too tangy from the lime, add more salt. If too salty, add more lime.1 15 oz can of full fat coconut milk, ½ lime
- Once simmering, add the chunks of fish. Allow the fish to simmer in the sauce until opaque and flaky, about 7-10 minutes.1 pound mahi mahi fish
- Serve the encocado de pescado with freshly chopped cilantro on top, along with rice and fried plantains and enjoy!cilantro
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently over low heat to prevent the fish from becoming tough.
- The sauce may separate when cold – simply stir while reheating.