I was already looking online for recipe suggestions. Several of which involved raw fish, which was not going to happen. Then I was reminded that I worked with someone of Fijian descent! He came to me before I got the chance to find him, and he was very keen to give me some suggestions. I felt like I said "but it can't involve raw fish" seconds before he was about to suggest a raw fish recipe. To be honest, he looked disappointed.
Anyway, Leroy came up with the goods, and suggested a recipe fairly similar to one I had already found. But this one has some added bonuses. It was fried. It involved some spice. And it actually had a Fijian name, unlike the one I found online.
Of course, all of the above only happened because - perhaps unsurprisingly - there are no restaurants in London catering for the food or people of this Pacific island nation, despite a fairly sizeable community in the UK.
So it was off to the kitchen, with the mission to produce ika vakalolo - fried fish in coconut. I already knew this was going to be good.
The method for this meal is in two parts. The sauce, and the fish. And in that order.
First for the sauce I mixed 35g of plain flour with about 200ml of coconut milk, and then added another 475ml of coconut milk into a large pot, alongside 1/2 tbsp chopped ginger and 2 crushed cloves of garlic. After adding in the flour/coconut milk mix and whisking until smooth, I then added 10 cherry tomatoes (halved), 1 chopped red chilli and 1 tbsp lemon juice. This was heated through, removed from the heat, then mixed with 25g of chopped spring onions and one head of bok choy (chopped into 6cm pieces). This was all stirred together one more time and then kept on a very low heat while the fish was prepared.
Normally I'd opt for a cheap, supermarket white fish option here, like river cobbler. But this recipe deserved more. So I went for considerably more expensive (sustainable) cod loins - two of. I drizzled these with lime juice and sprinkled sea salt, black pepper and chilli flakes. I was then supposed to dredge the fish in rice flour. I couldn't find rice flour for love nor money, and had to opt for plain flour again. I knew that the sacrifice here would be crispiness of the coating of the fish. So be it...
Once the loins were coated on both sides they were pan-fried in hot vegetable oil until cooked through - around four minutes on each side.
Once the loins were coated on both sides they were pan-fried in hot vegetable oil until cooked through - around four minutes on each side.
I served the cod on a bed of rice, topped with the lolo sauce, and garnished with some more chilli and a wedge of lime.
The verdict? The sauce was really good. It's not often I get consistency right with sauces, but this was close to perfect. Definitely not too thin. Not so thick that it was lumpy. Fairly thick. It felt right. Flavour wise, it was delicate. But with real sweetness from the coconut, citrus from the lemon, and kick from the chilli. The sweet, bitter and spice all worked really well together - it was definitely an interesting combination. Interesting in a good way.
I often overcook fish. Usually out of an abundance of caution. But the cod loins were cooked perfectly. I'll say it again - perfectly. Soft, moist, hot and tender. The coating was definitely noticeable. What it lacked in crispiness it definitely had in distinction. It's hard to pinpoint exactly which flavour came through. I guess it was the general combination of the seasoning and fried flour.
Overall it was a really enjoyable meal - a combination of strong and distinctive flavours that I wouldn't necessarily have thought would work together. I don't often cook fish dishes, but is was one I'll remember for a while.
