Marshallese Coconut Rice with Reef Fish

Name: Marshallese Coconut Rice with Reef Fish
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Marshall Islands
Ingredients: 2 cups rice; 400ml coconut milk; 4 reef fish fillets; 1 onion, sliced; 2 limes, juiced; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; Salt and pepper to taste; Chopped green onion, for garnish

4 servings15 min prep30 min cookEasy Marshall Islands

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Marshallese Coconut Rice with Reef Fish

Story updated September 17, 2026

This dish reflects the core of the traditional Marshallese diet: reef fish caught in the atolls' lagoons and rice cooked with coconut milk from the islands' abundant palms, staples that have sustained Pacific islander communities across the Marshall Islands' many low-lying coral atolls for generations.

Ingredients

Scale:· 4 servings

2 cups rice
400ml coconut milk
4 reef fish fillets
1 onion, sliced
2 limes, juiced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped green onion, for garnish

Instructions

1Rinse the rice and cook with coconut milk and a little water in a pot until tender and fragrant.
2Meanwhile, season the fish fillets with salt, pepper and half the lime juice.
3Heat the oil in a skillet and pan-fry the fish for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.
4In the same pan, quickly sauté the onion until softened and lightly caramelized.
5Fluff the coconut rice and divide among plates.
6Top with the pan-fried fish and sautéed onion.
7Drizzle with the remaining lime juice, garnish with green onion, and serve hot.

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