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    You are here: Home / Dinner / Halibut with Bok Choy, Makrut Lime Coconut Milk & Rice

    Halibut with Bok Choy, Makrut Lime Coconut Milk & Rice

    Posted by David (Doggy Daddy) · Leave a Comment

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    side view plated halibut with bok choy, rice, coconut milk, tomatoes
    Pan-fried halibut

    Fishies of the sea, can you see me? If so, I'd give you a high-five. Quay spotted a beautiful, thick halibut filet during a recent shopping trip, and it was on sale. One of the benefits of shopping early in the morning.

    The two three benefits of shopping in the AM:

    1. Fish selection
    2. Fewer people (especially now)
    3. Freshly-baked bread

    Plus, Leela can continue her morning nap while we're gone.

    notes about this halibut dish
    Recipe idea written down on my notepad

    I felt like doing something with limes which caused coconut milk to pop into my head... And then I remembered I have dried makrut lime leaves in the cupboard. BAM! There it is - the birth of a dish:

    Halibut, bok choy, coconut milk, lime, grape tomatoes on the vine, basmati rice.

    This mix is a nice change from some of the pasta we've been having and will fill you up without weighing you down.

    halibut being prepped on cutting board
    Halibut fillet

    Halibut is one of our favorites, and we're rarely able to snag a cut like this unless getting a much larger portion. It has a thin skin that's easy to scale and gets super crispy when cooked correctly, leading to a great texture contrast with its flaky, soft meat.

    If you're a fan of crispy-skin preparation, you'll love halibut.

    • coconut spread out on baking tray
      Coconut on baking sheet
    • toasted coconut cooling on baking pan
      Browned coconut after baking

    To go along with the coconut milk and lime idea, toasted coconut makes sense, and I used the oven method for toasting: sprinkle coconut on a baking sheet and bake on 350 until browned. When you think they're done try a few - if they're chewy and not crunchy, keep baking for a short time longer.

    bok choy, tomatoes, coconut, basmati, lime, kaffir lime leaves
    Ingredients on cutting board
    basmati rice cooked with kaffir lime leaves
    Finished rice in saucier

    Basmati is my white rice of choice. I use a Misen 3 quart saucier and always have great results with 1 cup of rice and 1.5 cups of water. For this dish, I added three dried makrut lime leaves into the rice mix.

    toasted coconut, halibut, leek, lime, jalepenos, bok choy, tomatoes
    Bok choy, toasted coconut, lime, jalapeño, leek, tomatoes, fish fillet

    I always use plastic cutting boards for raw proteins.

    sliced leek and jalepeno
    Sliced leeks and jalapeño

    I wanted the coconut milk to be flavored, but not over the top, so I chose to add some chopped leeks and jalapeños along with makrut lime leaves to the milk.

    The makrut lime is a small, very bitter and bumpy citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia. Its leaves provide a foundation in Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine and can be thought of as the equivalent to bay leaves. In fact, fresh leaves look like bay leaves, while dried leaves look more shriveled and curled in comparison.

    You can find makrut lime leaves in Asian food stores or on Amazon.

    In the rice picture earlier in this post and the one below, you'll see that after the dried leaves are cooked, they expand to their original size.

    coconut milk cooking with kaffir lime leaves and leeks
    Coconut milk with leeks, jalapeños, and makrut lime leaves

    My plan was to reduce the coconut milk until it had thickened, but the can I had was so watery, it never thickened. It's not the normal brand I buy, and had no fat at all.

    Lesson learned.

    sauteed bok choy
    Bok choy frying in pan

    I love bok choy. It's got great mild flavor and an awesome crunch. When it's pan-fried, be careful that you don't destroy the leaves - they cook very fast. Try to arrange the pieces in a pan so the stems cook first, then bring the leaves in when nearing completion.

    cherry tomatoes on vine in pan
    Cherry tomatoes on vine in pan
    charred cherry tomatoes
    Charred tomatoes cooking in pan

    Charring tomatoes is easy and quick. They soften and become deliciously sweet.

    pan-fried halibut sear
    Halibut fillets

    Look at the sear on this fish!

    pan-fried halibut coated with melted butter
    Basting halibut fillets in butter

    Baste the halibut with butter just before removing from the pan.

    Plated dish of halibut, rice, coconut milk sauce, bok choy, and grape tomatoes

    🐶 Leela Storm's Suggested Pairings

    • 🎵 Journey - Stone In Love
    • 🍷 Crisp Chardonnay

    🍽 Kitchen Critique

    The biggest disappointment for me is that the coconut didn't thicken as I had planned - and it's due to using a different brand which was very watery.

    Aside from that, it's a very flavorful and vibrant dish due to the makrut lime leaves. They really are necessary to get the underlying flavors correct in the rice and milk - regular lime and lemon just can't replicate the flavor.

    Don't leaf out the leaves.

    The halibut had a perfect sear, providing great texture with the fish and rice. Bok choy is such a great side, and this sautéed version with nice charring is delicious (though grilled is my hands-down favorite method).

    Toasted coconut plays into the sauce and also provides a flavor and texture pop. The charred grape tomatoes aren't a necessary component here, but I had to add them based on the season coming to an end, and their sweet flavor and breakdown are still a welcomed addition.

    ✔ Takeaways

    • Getting a restaurant-quality sear is easy: cook on medium-high heat without moving the fish until it needs to be flipped.
    • Invest a few bucks into a bag of dried makrut lime leaves. They are irreplaceable.
    • Rice is a blank canvas. Infuse it by adding things like makrut lime leaves, bay leaves, or ginger, and also try cooking it with coconut milk.
    Print

    Halibut with Bok Choy, Makrut Lime Coconut Milk & Rice

    seared halibut with rice and seared bok choy
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    This seared halibut with rice, coconut milk sauce, and bok choy has a vibrant flavor profile due to makrut lime leaves. Tomatoes bring a light sweetness.

    • Author: David (Doggy Daddy)
    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 40
    • Total Time: 50 minutes
    • Yield: 2 plates 1x
    • Category: dinner
    • Method: stovetop
    • Cuisine: Thai

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • Two 4-5 ounce halibut fillets
    • 1 cup basmati rice
    • 1 large bok choy, quartered and cleaned
    • 2 inches leek, sliced
    • Grape tomatoes on stem
    • 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (with fat)
    • ¼ cup coconut, shredded
    • ½ lime, juice and zest
    • 6 makrut lime leaves

    Instructions

    Prep

    1. Clean and dry the bok choy and tomatoes.
    2. Scale the halibut, if needed, pat dry.
    3. Heat oven to 350º.

    Rice & Coconut Milk

    1. Bring 1.5 cups of water, 1 cup rice, 3 makrut lime leaves to a boil then cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. After, remove from heat for 10 minutes - keeping the lid on.
    2. Bring 1 can of coconut milk with most of the sliced leeks (save a pinch for garnish) and 3 makrut lime leaves to a light rolling boil and reduce until thickened, stirring in a squeeze of lime juice when it nears completion.

    Coconut

    1. Sprinkle shredded coconut onto a baking sheet.
    2. Toast for 6 minutes or until browned and crisp, but not burnt.

    Fish

    1. Heat two pans on medium-high.
    2. Add 2 tbsp. grapeseed oil to the fish pan and 1 tablespoon oil to the bok choy pan.
    3. Season fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
    4. When the oil shimmers, place the fillets in the pan skin-side down.
    5. Cook for about 3 minutes per side then remove to rack.

    Bok Choy & Tomatoes

    1. While the fish cooks, add the bok choy to the pan, heavy stocks first.
    2. Cook until seared on both sides and leaves are wilted.
    3. Add the tomatoes to the fish pan and char both sides.

    Plate

    1. Place two large spoonfuls of rice in the center of the plate.
    2. Spoon some coconut milk on the rice.
    3. Place the tomatoes and a few leaves of bok choy to the side of the rice.
    4. Place the halibut on top of the rice.
    5. Sprinkle coconut on top of the fish then add some lime zest.

    Notes

    Be sure to use a quality unsweetened coconut milk such as "Thai Kitchen" that contains fat. It's more expensive but worth the price.

    For an even creamier rice, cook the rice in coconut milk instead of water.

    Keywords: halibut, makrut lime coconut milk sauce, grape tomatoes, seared bok choy

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please tag us at @thehotelleela on Instagram and hashtag it #thehotelleela!

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