Fish in Coconut Milk with Pineapple (Filipino Fish Stew)

In all kinds of weather, it would be hard not to enjoy a stew with a creamy mix of coconut milk. Feeling cold? Warm yourself up with the comforting taste of this kind of dish. As for hotter weather, you can also turn to a dish with a coconut-y base to hype up the feel…

In all kinds of weather, it would be hard not to enjoy a stew with a creamy mix of coconut milk. Feeling cold? Warm yourself up with the comforting taste of this kind of dish. As for hotter weather, you can also turn to a dish with a coconut-y base to hype up the feel of summer. The component also goes nicely with the simultaneous sweetness and tanginess of pineapple. And so I decided to mix them for this Fish in Coconut Milk with Pineapple recipe.

What does Fish in Coconut Milk with Pineapple taste like?

Most Filipinos would probably be familiar with dishes that combine the flavors of coconut milk with pineapple. After all, dishes such as Pininyahang Manok sa Gata just make sense. The chunks of this tropical fruit can make your coconut stew taste far more exciting and flavorful. But for this particular dish, I decided to utilize fish fried to perfection. This golden brown fish just fits perfectly with the soothing, creamy taste of coconut milk. You also get just enough saltiness and flavor from the fish to contrast well with the pineapple.

But for this dish, we will be using an ingredient that may be easier to deal with and get your hands on than coconut milk. Knorr Ginataang Gulay Mix can help us achieve that same creamy quality for our stew. Now are you ready to put your apron on? Come cook this Fish in Coconut Milk with Pineapple with me!

How to Make Fish in Coconut Milk with Pineapple

Step one for us would be to get 2 teaspoons of salt, and then spread this out evenly on 1 whole fish. Make sure that your fish has already been cleaned well. Once you are done rubbing the salt all over, you can just let the fish sit for 10 minutes so it can absorb your seasoning well.

Take your 1 cup of cooking oil, and put this in a pan. Apply heat, and let the oil’s temperature reach 350 °F. Then you can get your fish from earlier, and put this in the pan. Cook this until one side becomes golden brown. Afterwards, turn the fish over so you can fry the other side. Just keep an eye on the fish so you do not end up overcooking it. When both sides are golden brown, you can remove the fish, and let the oil drip using a wire rack. If you don’t have this, you can let the fish stay on a plate lined with some paper towel instead. 

Scoop around 3 tablespoons of the oil we utilized for the fish. Get a clean pan, and pour the oil inside. We will then add 3 cloves of garlic we’ve minced, and sauté these until they become brown. And then just place the 1 onion you’ve chopped along with 1 thumb of ginger in the pan. Also sauté these until the onion gets soft.

Grab a clean container, and put 40 grams of Knorr Ginataang Gulay Mix inside. Pour 1 ½ cups of water as well. Mix these until they are well-blended. After that, you can put the mixture inside your pan. Keep the heat going, and let your mixture boil.

It’s time to take the heat down to medium setting. Get the fish you set aside earlier, as well as 1 cup of pineapple chunks. Put these in your pan, and then cover the container. Keep everything cooking for 5 minutes.

Once the 5 minutes are up, you can take off the cover. Then take your 2 bell peppers that are sliced, and add them to the mix. Cook up your ingredients without the cover on top for 3 minutes more.

Go ahead, and add as much fish sauce and ground black pepper as you would prefer. Mix that into your stew, and then just transfer everything onto a serving bowl of choice. A hot bowl of this would go perfectly with some rice, and so make sure to have it ready as well.

But there are more dishes you can enjoy with this recipe! 

What to Serve with Fish in Coconut Milk with Pineapple

Cilantro Lime Rice

Tired of having plain white rice? Cooking up some Cilantro Lime Rice is a fun way to make your dish more flavorful. This is something I particularly like to use for burritos, but it also makes for a fitting side dish, especially when you want to try rice with a more refreshing taste.

Coconut Shrimp

Going with the theme of coconut-y flavors, I would recommend trying our main dish alongside some Coconut Shrimp. This is essentially the seafood ingredient with a beautifully crunchy coconut breading. You could even add this to your stew if you would like an additional source of protein.

Biko

And what’s a great meal without dessert? This famous Filipino rice cake is delightfully sticky and sweet, and made even better with— you guessed it— some delicious coconut milk. Try making your Biko from home!

I hope you liked making this Fish in Coconut Milk with Pineapple dish! Drop any questions you might have about it in the comments below.

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

Fish in Coconut Milk with Pineapple

Fried pompano fish cooked in coconut milk with pineapples, bell peppers, and baby bok choy

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 45 minutes minutes

Instructions

• Rub salt on the fish. Let it stay for 10 minutes.

• Pour 1 cup cooking oil in a pan and heat it. Once the oil temperature reaches 350F, fry the fish until it turns golden brown in color. Turn it over and do the same process on the other side. Remove the fish and put it over a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towel.

• Meanwhile, scoop around 3 tablespoons of oil used to fry the fish and heat it on a clean pan. Sauté the garlic until it starts to brown. Add the onion and ginger. Continue sautéing until the onion softens.

• Combine Knorr Ginataang Gulay Mix with 1 ½ cups water. Stir until well blended and then pour the mixture into the pan. Let it boil.

• Reduce the heat to medium setting and then add the pineapple and fried fish. Cover pan and continue cooking for 3 minutes.

• Remove the cover. Add the bell peppers and baby bok choy. Continue cooking for 3 minutes.

• Season with fish sauce and ground black pepper.

• Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot with rice.

• Share and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 1182kcal (59%) Carbohydrates: 38g (13%) Protein: 4g (8%) Fat: 117g (180%) Saturated Fat: 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 32g Monounsaturated Fat: 71g Trans Fat: 0.4g Cholesterol: 0.3mg Sodium: 2350mg (98%) Potassium: 686mg (20%) Fiber: 6g (24%) Sugar: 27g (30%) Vitamin A: 5672IU (113%) Vitamin C: 247mg (299%) Calcium: 69mg (7%) Iron: 2mg (11%)

© copyright: Vanjo Merano