Taste & Create: Curried Tilapia with Coconut Rice & Wilted Spinach

It's Taste & Create time again! T&C was created by Nicole of For the Love of Food. It's a super fun event in which food bloggers are paired off and tasked with preparing a recipe from their partner's blog.

This month, I ended up with two partners, including Megan of A Bolder Table. So hard to choose just one recipe! I did a search for coconut, and found this recipe for Curried Mahi Mahi with Coconut Rice.

First, I had to figure out what Kecap Manis is...I couldn't find it at the store (I don't think anyone is surprised by this), so I decided to hunt for a recipe. I found a recipe at Gourmet Sleuth spelled Ketjap Manis, but of course I changed it. You can find the Kecap Manis recipe here.

Next, mahi mahi isn't available at our store either. I know, it's unbelievable. Luckily, since they installed the new freezer in the meat section, we can get frozen tilapia that's very good and very affordable. So I decided to go with that, and I'm going to grill the fish. I'm not a big fan of broiling...

Megan didn't say how much fish to use, so I just thawed five filets, enough for the four of us and an extra just in case.

Other than the grilling, I pretty much followed Megan's recipe. My notes are in italics below. At the last minute I decided to use my trusty grill pan, well-oiled.

I ended up grilling the fish on my grill pan for about 6 minutes per side, and it was perfectly cooked!


Curried Tilapia is EXCELLENT. We will definitely be making this again. Coconut Rice got mixed reviews, and all but one loved the spinach. What a great meal! Thanks, Megan!

Curried Tilapia with Coconut Rice & Wilted Spinach

When the fish is thawed, marinate it for an hour or so.
For this dish the marinade is:

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil*I used 2 tablespoons oil because the marinade seemed too thick
  
• 2 tablespoons coconut fat (from the top of an undisturbed can of coconut milk)*my coconut milk didn't have any fat on top, it was more of a solid, so I just scooped out 2 tablespoons
  
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• fresh ground black pepper
• Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes)*I left this out because I have two small boys
  
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• a pinch of paprika
• a pinch of ground coriander
• 2 TB Kecap Manis (known as Sweet Soy Sauce in Indonesia)

Whisk the marinade together until well combined, turn fish to coat evenly. Let the fish marinate in the fridge for an hour or so while prepping the rest of the meal. When the rice is almost done, start broiling or grilling the fish, flipping it once, for about 5 minutes on each side or until flaky.

To make Coconut Rice:

Follow instructions for the rice of your choice, but add some coconut milk and fat to the water while it cooks. Super simple and delicious. *I used half water and half coconut milk.

We also did as Megan did, and wilted some fresh spinach in a pan with some peanut oil and a little soy sauce for some greens on the side.