Suva Market fish soup

The Suva market in Fuji brims with flavour, with vendors offering the sweetest fruits, freshest produce and ready-made meals for an easy lunch. The kiosks, says Fuzz Ali, hold a quieter standout – hot fish soup. It's tempered with miti, a citrus-forward coconut milk sauce that brings brightness and balance. This recipe substitutes Fijian reef fish with local Australian barramundi.

Credit: Fuzz Ali

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ¼ head cabbage, cut into wedges
• 7 garlic cloves, roughly diced
• 2 cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 red chillies, diced (remove seeds if less heat is preferred)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 whole medium barramundi, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 makrut lime leaves
• 2 cups fish stock
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Pinch of sugar, to taste

Coconut milk sauce (Miti)

• 400 ml coconut milk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 small red chilli, finely diced (remove seeds if less heat is preferred)
• 1 stalk spring onion, finely diced
• Salt, to taste

Resting time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. For the miti, combine the coconut milk, lemon juice, lime juice, chilli, spring onion, and salt in a jug. Stir well, then set aside at room temperature for around 10 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle and the citrus to brighten the sauce.
2. Arrange the cabbage wedges in a single layer over the base of a wide, deep pan. Scatter over the chilli, garlic, ginger, onion and tomato, then season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Pour in the fish stock and 2 cups of water.
3. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the cabbage has started to soften and the aromatics are fragrant.
4. Gently nestle the barramundi pieces into the simmering broth. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes, then carefully turn the fish and cook for a further 4 minutes, or until just cooked through and the flesh flakes easily. Adjust seasoning to taste. Take off the heat and squeeze fresh lime juice over the soup.
5. Serve the fish soup hot with the cabbage and broth ladled into warm bowls. Spoon over plenty of miti at the table and enjoy with boiled root vegetables of your choice – taro or cassava is a particularly good match.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.