Coconut poached fish with rice

This coconut poached fish is light, aromatic, and full of flavour. Fragrant coconut cream is infused with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and chilli, then gently simmered with tender white fish and pak choi. Using the Instant Pot makes it easy to cook the rice at the same time, so everything comes together efficiently in one appliance.

It’s a fresh, well-balanced dish that works perfectly for weeknights while still feeling special enough to serve to guests.

Servings: 4 people
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: approx. 30 minutes
Appliance: Instant Pot multicooker

Ingredients

• 1 lime
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ red chilli
• 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
• Neutral oil
• Salt, to taste

Preparation method

Prepare the aromatics
Slice the ginger, red chilli, and onion. Lightly crush the garlic cloves. Cut the top quarter off the lemongrass stalk and bruise both pieces to release their aroma.

Build the coconut broth
Select Sauté on the Instant Pot and set to medium heat. Add a small amount of oil, then add the onion, the larger piece of lemongrass, garlic, chilli, and ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.

Pour in the stock, coconut cream, sugar, and fish sauce. Stir well to combine.

Cook the rice
Place a short trivet into the pot. In a small heatproof bowl, combine the rice, water, a pinch of salt, and the reserved lemongrass tip. Carefully place the bowl on the trivet so it sits above the liquid without tipping.

Cancel Sauté, secure the lid, and select Pressure Cook on high for 3 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, about 13–15 minutes in total. When the pin drops, open the lid and carefully remove the rice. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Poach the fish and vegetables
Switch back to Sauté and bring the coconut broth to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Slide in the fish fillets and nestle the pak choi around them. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily and the pak choi is just tender.

Serve
Divide the rice between plates or bowls. Spoon over the coconut broth, fish, and pak choi. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice just before serving.

The Instant Pot allows you to layer flavours efficiently while cooking multiple components at once. Pressure cooking the rice above the broth saves time, while the Sauté function gives you precise control for gently poaching delicate fish.

Discover more light and flavourful dishes in our Instant Pot recipes.

Looking to expand your kitchen setup? Explore our full Instant Pot multicooker collection and find the model that suits your cooking style.