This vibrant green sauce is such a simple way to add a powerhouse green – watercress – to your diet. Make the sauce in your blender in a just few minutes by combining coconut milk with watercress, cilantro, green onion, garlic and ginger. Similar in flavor to a mild green curry, the sauce pairs especially well with fish but can also be served over chicken or red meat.
Watercress, with its fairly mild but peppery flavor, is an excellent source of beta-carotene, vitamins A, B1 and B6, C, E and K, iodine, iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc. It also contains a flavonoid called quercetin that might reduce inflammation.
So while there are plenty of good reasons to make this enticing sauce with watercress, variations are just as good. Spinach instead of watercress, parsley instead of cilantro…you can even add chicken stock and turn the sauce into soup broth. And don’t get caught up on exact measurement amounts for the greens and herbs; just throw a few handfuls in there. The sauce might turn out slightly different each time, but no less delicious.
Servings: 2
Time in the Kitchen: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 6-ounce/170 g skinless halibut fillets (or other white fish), 1 to 1
1/2-inch thick (2.5 to 3.8 cm)
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (383 g)
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger (15 ml)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves (a large handful)
1 1/2 cups watercress leaves (2 handfuls)
1/4 cup chopped green onion tops (60 ml)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste (1.2 ml)
Garnish with fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil) and a wedge of lime
Instructions:
Lightly salt the fish. Set aside.
In a blender combine the coconut milk, ginger, garlic, cilantro, watercress, green onion and salt until it’s blended into a smooth green sauce.
Pour the sauce in a wide in skillet. Bring to a simmer. Add the fish and cover. The cooking time will vary depending on how thick the fish is, but is likely to take 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve alone in a bowl or over cauliflower rice or sautéed spinach.