Tropical Fish Stew

Ingredients

• 10 ounces red snapper
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh peanut butter
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Thai sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 3 stalks green onions
• 1 cup papaya
• 2 plantains, sliced
• 1 ounce cilantro
• 1/2 cup taro root leaves
• 1/2 lime

Directions

1. 1

   In your favorite big soup pot, saute a few slices of onion in the sesame oil for just a moment to flavor the oil. Add plantains while hot, let them sear, and turn heat down. Pour fish sauce and sriracha into a seperate shallow pan and stir in coconut milk.

2. 2

   Add peanut butter and stir together until creamy and smooth. Add bits of water as needed to dilute mixture. Add half of the garlic and stir. Pour mixture into the soup pot over plantains, then stir in spices until all is well blended. Add half of the onions and green papaya. Pour in water.

3. 3

   **Optional** At this point, if you'd like, you can blend half of the soup very well and add it back inches

4. 4

   Let that simmer for a little while while you clean up or pull the cilantro from its stems or whatever. Squeeze some lime juice over the snapper and dust with a little more black pepper. Saute another slice of onion in another drop hot sesame oil, then sear the fish in it. After the very outside of the fish browns (fish is still raw, really) dump the fish into the simmering soup. Let simmer until snapper is cooked through and plantains and papaya is soft, turn off heat, and add carrots, onions, green onions, garlic, cilantro, and taro. Cover and let sit on the stove for a little while, then devour. Preferably with other people or at least not all at once.

5. 5

   Garnish with paprika, a bit of shredded coconut, and a wedge of lime.