COURSE:
British, Greek, Lunch, Main Course, Recipe Page, Recipes, Salad

Coconut Poached Fish with Rice

Delicate, creamy and gently spiced, this Coconut Poached Fish with Rice is a beautifully balanced dish that feels both comforting and elegant. Fresh white fish is gently poached in a fragrant coconut milk broth infused with ginger, garlic, lime and a hint of chilli, resulting in melt-in-the-mouth texture and layers of warming flavour.

The rich, aromatic sauce is the star here – silky coconut milk combined with savoury stock, zesty lime and a touch of spice creates a perfectly balanced base that soaks into the rice and complements the fish without overpowering it. It’s a dish that feels indulgent yet light, perfect for everything from midweek meals to laid-back weekend suppers.

Served with fluffy white rice to absorb every drop of the sauce, this recipe is easy to customise. Add pak choi, sugar snap peas or spinach for a pop of green, or swap in your favourite sustainably sourced fish. The gentle poaching method ensures the fish stays moist and flaky, making it ideal even for less experienced cooks.

Thanks to the Instant Pot, the rice cooks to perfection while the fish and sauce come together quickly and effortlessly. It’s a great example of how simple ingredients can transform into something truly special with just a little help from your multi-cooker.

Whether you’re craving something soothing on a cold evening or want a lighter alternative to heavier comfort food, this Coconut Poached Fish with Rice delivers. Full of fresh flavour and soul-warming aromas, it’s a dish that brings a touch of tropical calm to your dinner table.

Coconut Poached Fish with Rice

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Prep Time:
10 mins

Cook Time:
20 mins

Servings:
4

Product:
Instant Pot Multi-Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 lime
  • 1 stick lemongrass
  • Thumb-sized piece of ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ red chili
  • ½ small white onion
  • 1 tsp dark brown sugar or palm sugar
  • 1½ tbsp fish sauce
  • 300 ml fish or chicken stock
  • 1 tin coconut cream
  • 150 g rice
  • 190 ml water
  • 4 hake fillets (or other firm white fish such as cod, pollock, monkfish, haddock, or sea bass)
  • 4 pak choi
  • Oil, salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Slice the thumb-sized piece of ginger, ½ red chili, and ½ small white onion. Crush the 2 garlic cloves and cut the top quarter from the 1 stick lemongrass. Bruise both pieces of lemongrass to release their flavor.
  2. Set the Instant Pot to sauté (medium heat). Add a little neutral oil, then the onion, a large piece of lemongrass, garlic, chili, and ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes until the onion softens.
  3. Add the 300 ml stock, 1 tin coconut cream, 1 tsp dark brown sugar, and 1½ tbsp fish sauce. Stir well.
  4. Place a short-legged trivet in the pot. Set a small, heatproof bowl of 150 g rice, 190 ml water, a pinch of salt, and the reserved lemongrass tip on the trivet. The bowl should sit just above the broth without tipping.
  5. Cancel sauté, secure the lid, and pressure cook for 3 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, about 13–15 minutes in total. When the pin drops, open the pot and carefully lift out the rice. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
  6. Switch back to sauté. Bring the coconut broth to a gentle simmer (medium-low heat) and slide in the 4 hake fillets. Nestle the 4 pak choi around the fish. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, and the pak choi is just tender.
  7. Serve the rice with the coconut broth, fish, and pak choi. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lime before serving.

Notes: Any firm white fish works here, but thicker fillets are easiest to handle. Swap pak choi for spinach or tenderstem broccoli if preferred.

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Coconut Poached Fish with Rice

COURSE:
British, Greek, Lunch, Main Course, Recipe Page, Recipes, Salad

PRINT RECIPE
Pin it

Prep Time:
10 mins

Cook Time:
20 mins

Servings:
4

Product:
Instant Pot Multi-Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 lime
  • 1 stick lemongrass
  • Thumb-sized piece of ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ red chili
  • ½ small white onion
  • 1 tsp dark brown sugar or palm sugar
  • 1½ tbsp fish sauce
  • 300 ml fish or chicken stock
  • 1 tin coconut cream
  • 150 g rice
  • 190 ml water
  • 4 hake fillets (or other firm white fish such as cod, pollock, monkfish, haddock, or sea bass)
  • 4 pak choi
  • Oil, salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Slice the thumb-sized piece of ginger, ½ red chili, and ½ small white onion. Crush the 2 garlic cloves and cut the top quarter from the 1 stick lemongrass. Bruise both pieces of lemongrass to release their flavor.
  2. Set the Instant Pot to sauté (medium heat). Add a little neutral oil, then the onion, a large piece of lemongrass, garlic, chili, and ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes until the onion softens.
  3. Add the 300 ml stock, 1 tin coconut cream, 1 tsp dark brown sugar, and 1½ tbsp fish sauce. Stir well.
  4. Place a short-legged trivet in the pot. Set a small, heatproof bowl of 150 g rice, 190 ml water, a pinch of salt, and the reserved lemongrass tip on the trivet. The bowl should sit just above the broth without tipping.
  5. Cancel sauté, secure the lid, and pressure cook for 3 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, about 13–15 minutes in total. When the pin drops, open the pot and carefully lift out the rice. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
  6. Switch back to sauté. Bring the coconut broth to a gentle simmer (medium-low heat) and slide in the 4 hake fillets. Nestle the 4 pak choi around the fish. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, and the pak choi is just tender.
  7. Serve the rice with the coconut broth, fish, and pak choi. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lime before serving.

Notes: Any firm white fish works here, but thicker fillets are easiest to handle. Swap pak choi for spinach or tenderstem broccoli if preferred.

Coconut Poached Fish with Rice

Delicate, creamy and gently spiced, this Coconut Poached Fish with Rice is a beautifully balanced dish that feels both comforting and elegant. Fresh white fish is gently poached in a fragrant coconut milk broth infused with ginger, garlic, lime and a hint of chilli, resulting in melt-in-the-mouth texture and layers of warming flavour.

The rich, aromatic sauce is the star here – silky coconut milk combined with savoury stock, zesty lime and a touch of spice creates a perfectly balanced base that soaks into the rice and complements the fish without overpowering it. It’s a dish that feels indulgent yet light, perfect for everything from midweek meals to laid-back weekend suppers.

Served with fluffy white rice to absorb every drop of the sauce, this recipe is easy to customise. Add pak choi, sugar snap peas or spinach for a pop of green, or swap in your favourite sustainably sourced fish. The gentle poaching method ensures the fish stays moist and flaky, making it ideal even for less experienced cooks.

Thanks to the Instant Pot, the rice cooks to perfection while the fish and sauce come together quickly and effortlessly. It’s a great example of how simple ingredients can transform into something truly special with just a little help from your multi-cooker.

Whether you’re craving something soothing on a cold evening or want a lighter alternative to heavier comfort food, this Coconut Poached Fish with Rice delivers. Full of fresh flavour and soul-warming aromas, it’s a dish that brings a touch of tropical calm to your dinner table.

< Back To Recipes