Mojarra con leche de coco

Mojarra/Tilapia/Red Snapper with Coconut milk

Mojarra con leche de coco is a very typical coastal dish of Colombia. Serve with rice, fresh salad, lime and patacones.

4 medium fish, they can be mojarra – tilapia, pargo rojo – red snapper

Package or tin of coconut milk or better yet 1  coconut

2 heads of garlic

1  white onion

1 red pepper

1 cut parsley

1 yellow pepper

1 green pepper

1 small jar of tomato paste

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

2 glasses of wine for cooking

The coconut milk is the fastest way to prepare this meal. Otherwise you have to drain the coconut, liquify the meat with the water, strain and then remove the fibre. Certainly it will have a fresher taste but it is much more time consuming.

Clean the fish, sprinkle with salt, put it a pan and so that it is ready to put in the oven.

Cut the peppers and onion in half, take the halves and blend them with garlic, coconut milk, tomato paste and wine .

Take this mixture and put in inside the fish  – even inside the bellies of fish. If you use a real coconut you can use some of the fiber. This will help enhance the coconut flavour. Let this marinate for about two hours.

In the meantime  chop the other half of the peppers with white onion and parsley, put them in a hot pan with olive oil and prepare a sauce with the tomato paste, add salt to taste. Once again, if you have a real coconut you can add 3 or 4 tablespoons of coconut fibre.

After the fish have marinated,  place them in the oven preheated to 350 degrees, for about fifteen minutes, or until they are ready. This varies greatly in Colombia depending on your altitude.

When they  ready to serve, cover the fish generously with the sauce.