Comorian Mtsolola Fish Tomato Stew

Ingredients

• 1 lb white fish fillets, cut into large chunks
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 4 cardamom pods, crushed, and 3 whole cloves
• 1 red chili, sliced
• 1 cup fish stock or water
• 1 1/2 cups rice, for serving
• 1 lime, half juiced and half cut into wedges
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley

Steps

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then simmer it in 2 1/4 cups salted water, covered, over the lowest heat for 15 minutes and leave it covered off the heat.
2. Pat the fish dry, season it with half the salt and the lime juice, and refrigerate it while you build the sauce.
3. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 6 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, ginger, chili, cardamom, and cloves and stir for 1 minute until the whole spices smell fragrant.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, pressing them down with a spoon, until they collapse into a thick sauce and the oil separates at the edges of the pan.
5. Pour in the stock and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk and bring it back to the barest simmer.
6. Never let coconut milk boil hard. At a rolling boil it splits into oil and grainy curds, and the sauce will not come back together.
7. Slide the fish into the sauce in a single layer, cover, and poach gently for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pieces are opaque, flake at the touch of a fork, and reach 145F (63C).
8. Fish out the cloves, adjust the salt and lime, and serve over the rice with the cilantro and lime wedges.

Allergen note: Contains fish and coconut.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.