Pescado Encocado

Today was an absolutely wonderful day in Ecuador.  I’m constantly amazed at how kind and patient the people in this area are.  Chef Pablo decided that today we would make a traditional Ecuadorian Pescado Encocado or commonly known as fish with coconut sauce.   We prepared this more like a stew and took creative liberties throughout the preparation.  What I find intriguing about cooking here, is that nothing is processed and has a great fresh and distinct flavor from the herbs to the fish.  They have a huge organic garden and trout farm,  so it’s truly from farm to table.

Anyway, we prepared this simple, yet delectably light stew from fresh coconut, splitting it open, reserving the water and then blending the coconut meat with boiling water until smooth.  Who would have thought that I would be making my own coconut milk in no time, but yes, I mastered this trick and prepared this lovely (yes I said lovely) stewing sauce with herbs for poaching the fish.  Did I mention that the milk was strained from the coconut pulp prior to the cooking process?  My biggest fear with this meal was the poaching process, as I’ve not poached before and didn’t want to overcook the fish.  Incredibly, it wasn’t that hard and didn’t require a long cooking time, just a low flame and a lid on the pan, PERFECTION!  For the purists, we adjusted this recipe to our needs, taking on our personal preferences, creative license.  To complement the Pescado Encocado, we prepared coconut rice using the reserved coconut water and added a pickled red onion and tomato salad with fresh lime and lemon juices.

Check in to see what's cooking tomorrow!