Easy Thai Coconut Sauce Recipe (with Wild Halibut & More)
This easy, delicious Coconut Sauce recipe pairs perfectly with fish or other protein, veggies, and your choice of rice. It’s easy to prepare and makes any dish flavorful and satisfying. It’s so good you’ll want to make a double batch!
Recipe by Pamela on July 26, 2024
Rating
4.46 stars (11 reviews)
Ingredients
1 ½ cups full-fat coconut milk (usually a full can’s worth)
¾ cup fish stock (chicken stock or bottled clam juice)
3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce
a little heat: a pinch of crushed red pepper (1 Tablespoon of minced fresh chili pepper or a little Siracha sauce)
6 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (divided)
6 Tablespoons finely chopped green onions (divided)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 wild halibut fillets (about 4-6 ounces each (or mahi-mahi or true cod fillets))
Steps
Prepare a broiler pan or place a metal rack inside a baking sheet. (You can also grill the fish.)
In a large skillet, combine coconut milk, stock, lime juice, ginger, garlic, fish sauce and chili peppers. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until sauce has thickened slightly and equals about 1 cup to 1 ¼ cup, about 10 minutes. If you use a smaller skillet, it will take longer; a larger skillet, less time. Stir in half the cilantro and half the green onions. Season with sea salt and pepper.
Position an oven rack on the second level from the top. Preheat broiler to medium or medium-high. Brush each piece of fish all over with 1 Tablespoon of sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover sauce to keep warm.
Broil fish until it starts to flake and is opaque in center, about 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of the fish. Divide fish and sauce among 6 plates. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and green onions. Serve.
Reviews
Kelly on 2026-02-19 (5 stars): Good
Kelly on 2026-02-19 (5 stars): Very good
Jeni on 2026-02-13 (5 stars): Even without lime, cilantro (we didn't have either on hand) and extra pepper or hot sauce, it's still VERY delicious (Although I bet with, adds even more complexity)! I cooked it all in a oven safe pan that was transferred from stove to broil, while the fish sat in the sauce, and it turned out great. Being it was only in the oven for 5 minutes, the sauce didn't dry out. I added a bit more grated ginger, and that added a good amount of spice. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!
Janet Mullinax on 2025-11-21 (5 stars): Great recipe…I will be making this again!
Pk Kisch on 2025-07-10 (2 stars): Didn’t I like about the recipe the fish sauce ruined it. Now I didn’t use fresh ginger maybe that would’ve helped
Doralyn on 2024-02-25 (5 stars): This is such a delicious recipe and not heavy, which feels good after you've enjoyed the meal. The coconut milk is so flavorful and really pairs nicely with fish and rice. Halibut was crazy expensive so I used Mahi-Mahi. I used Cod another time and think it's much better with Mahi-Mahi. Had it with blanched broccoli on the side. Thanks for the recipe!
