Lemongrass-Coconut Broth Poached Yellowtail with Steamed Bok Choy

For once, Derek went all by himself to the Farmer's Market and selected a few inspirational ingredients for the next night's meal. It started with a trip to the seafood vendor who pointed to a California Yellowtail fillet which he described as "like Mahi-Mahi but sweeter." This description then set off the light bulb for "lemongrass" - which then led to the side pairing of "bok choy." With those three ingredients in hand - Derek came home, ready to turn them into his own masterpiece creation.

Lemongrass Coconut Broth Poached Yellowtail with Steamed Bok Choy

Ingredients

1 teaspoon EVOO
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, chopped
2 thai chiles, seeded and minced
1 can (10-oz) coconut water
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 lime, zested and juiced
1 star anise
2 (8-ounce) yellowtail snapper fillets

Garnish:
mango, peeled and diced
macadamia nuts, chopped and toasted
daikon radish sprouts
fleur de sel

Side Dish: Baby Bok Choy steamed in a bamboo steamer for 6 minutes

Preparation:

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add shallots, ginger, and lemongrass. Sauté 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in next 8 ingredients to make stock; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes. Pour stock through a wire-mesh strainer into a large skillet, discarding solids.

Bring stock to a boil in skillet; add yellowtail to skillet. Reduce heat until stock just simmers. Cover and poach yellowtail 8 to 9 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork (if you do not have enough liquid, flip the fish half-way through and basted with the liquid).

To serve, place steamed bok choy in the center of a shallow bowl; top with poached snapper. Pour broth over the fish, and sprinkle diced mango around fish. Garnish the fish, with toasted macadamia nuts, fleur de sel, and sprouts.

Beautiful! I loved the combination of colors on this dish. The preparation was delicate yet inviting.

Now with critiquing this dish - I have to comment on the recipe and not necessarily the fish. In all, this was a fantastic dish. I could have had just a big bowl of that broth. It was slightly sweet and spicy with just the right amount of richness, balanced with the fresh flavors of the lemongrass, lime, and cilantro. I could see this being served as a soup with some shrimp and avocado in it. Yum.

The fish itself was OK - Derek's piece was better than mine. We attribute the variation to the fact that my piece feel alongside the bloodline of the fish and therefore, had a distinctly fishy flavor that I wasn't too fond of. His piece, however, tasted just fine! We both agreed that a wetter more large-flake fish such as grouper or black cod would probably have been better in the dish and that the firmer texture of a yellowtail is more suitable for pan-searing and grilling. That being said - the toasted macadamia nuts and the mango were the perfect compliments to the broth and fish.

In all, this was a really well composed dish - best suited for a different variety of fish!