Cod à la Nage (Poached in Broth) With Coconut Milk, Lime, and Lemongrass

Gently poach cod in a broth of coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, fresh chiles, and fish sauce for an easy and flavorful dinner.

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated February 14, 2025
A bowl of cod à la nage with coconut milk, lime, and lemongrass, garnished with cilantro and basil.
Cod gently cooked with Thai flavors.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Poaching the cod half-submerged in simmering liquid cooks it very gently.
  • Using a smaller amount of poaching liquid and adding lots of aromatics helps season the fish. The broth, in turn, better captures the cod's flavor.
  • Varying the proportion of coconut milk in the broth allows you to adjust the richness of the dish.

Gently poached in a broth of coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, fresh chiles, and fish sauce, this tender cod makes an easy and flavorful dinner. As I pointed out when I wrote about cooking à la nage, the fish is only half-submerged in simmering broth, which cooks it more gently than regular poaching. Plus, the smaller amount of aromatic broth effectively seasons the cod while becoming infused with the cod's flavor. If you want a richer broth, go ahead and use all coconut milk for the liquid; it'll be thick and intense and, frankly, a little fatty. If you want to lighten it a bit, you can substitute half the coconut milk with vegetable or fish broth.

A bowl of cod à la nage with coconut milk, lime, and lemongrass, garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

July 2015

This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 to guarantee best results.

Recipe Details

Cod With Coconut Milk, Lime, and Lemongrass Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 10 mins
Active 30 mins
Total 15 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil

  • 2 medium shallots (5 ounces; 145 g), minced

  • 3 medium cloves garlic (1/2 ounce; 15 g), roughly chopped

  • 1 fresh Thai red chile or Fresno pepper (1 ounce; 30 g), stemmed and thinly sliced

  • 2 (14-ounce; 400 ml) cans coconut milk (see notes)

  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce

  • 3 (2-inch) strips lime peel from 1 lime

  • 1 (2-inch) knob peeled fresh ginger (1/2 ounce; 15 g), thinly sliced

  • 1 (8-inch) stalk lemongrass (1/2 ounce; 15 g), cut into 3-inch lengths and bruised with blunt side of knife

  • 2 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus picked leaves for garnish

  • 2 sprigs basil, preferably Thai basil, plus torn leaves for garnish

  • 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless cod fillets

  • 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided; for table salt, use half as much by volume

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh juice from 1 lime, plus extra wedges for serving

Directions

  1. In a large, straight-sided sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot, garlic, and chile and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened and shallot is translucent, about 2 minutes.

  2. Add coconut milk (and broth, if using; see notes), fish sauce, lime peel, ginger, lemongrass, cilantro sprigs, and basil sprigs. Season cod with salt and pepper, then nestle in coconut broth; the fish should be partially submerged. Bring liquid to a simmer, then cover pan and lower heat. Cook, covered, until cod is just cooked through and registers 135°F (57°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.

  3. Using a slotted spatula, transfer cod to bowls. Whisk lime juice into broth. Season broth with salt and pepper, then ladle all around fish in the bowls along with the vegetables. Garnish with cilantro and basil leaves. Serve right away with lime wedges on the side.

Special Equipment

Instant-read thermometer

Notes

Using all coconut milk makes a thicker, richer broth; for a lighter version, use only one can of coconut milk and replace the other with 14 ounces of vegetable or fish broth.

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