Lemon Basil Coconut Snapper with Bok Choy
A garden-fresh, creamy fish dish built around homegrown lemon basil — bright, aromatic, and deeply flavorful. Simple enough for a weeknight, special enough to share.
If you grow lemon basil, this is the recipe it was born for. The leaves have a bright, citrusy perfume — somewhere between sweet basil and lemongrass — and they hold up beautifully in a simmered coconut sauce.
This dish comes together in one pan. The snapper fillets poach right in the sauce alongside tender bok choy, soaking up all that flavor as they cook. Serve it over white rice and finish with fresh herbs — it's the kind of meal that tastes like it took all day.
Watch the video version of this recipe:
Growing lemon basil in Florida? It thrives in the heat and produces all season long. Harvest the leaves right before cooking for the strongest flavor — the aroma fades once picked and stored.
Ingredients
For the fish & sauce
- 4 skin-on snapper fillets
- 3 tsp coconut oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz)
- 1 packet Goya Sazón con culantro y achiote
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- ½ cup fresh lemon basil leaves, chopped
- 4 small bok choy, halved
- Salt to taste
To garnish
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Extra fresh lemon basil leaves
Serve with steamed white rice.
Directions
1. Prep your ingredients Gather everything before you start. If you're harvesting lemon basil from the garden, rinse the sprigs well, strip the leaves from the stems, and give them a rough chop. Set aside.
2. Dry and salt the fish Pat all sides of the snapper fillets dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt on both sides — this draws out surface moisture and firms up the flesh so the fillets hold together during cooking. Set aside while you build the sauce.
3. Sauté the aromatics Heat coconut oil in a wide saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 1 minute, keeping them moving so they don't burn. Add the diced onion, grated carrot, and diced bell pepper. Splash in 2–3 tablespoons of water to help everything steam without scorching. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and the onions are translucent.
4. Build the coconut sauce Add the Sazón packet and chicken bouillon powder. Stir until fully incorporated. Add the chopped lemon basil, then pour in the coconut milk. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste the sauce — add more salt or bouillon if it needs it, and more lemon basil if you want a stronger, more lemony punch.
5. Add the snapper Nestle the snapper fillets into the sauce, skin-side down, in a single layer. Press them down gently to submerge, or spoon sauce over the tops of any pieces that aren't fully covered.
6. Add the bok choy Tuck the halved bok choy around the edges of the pan and on top of the fish if needed. They'll steam cook along with everything else as the lid goes on.
7. Cover and simmer — then flip Cover with a lid and cook on low heat. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and carefully flip the fish fillets to the other side.
8. Finish cooking Replace the lid and continue simmering on low until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily, and the bok choy is soft — about 15–20 minutes total from when the fish went in.
9. Plate and serve Spoon steamed white rice into bowls. Place a snapper fillet on top and ladle over a generous amount of the lemon basil coconut sauce. Add bok choy to the side. Finish with fresh chopped cilantro and/or more lemon basil leaves.
About lemon basil
Lemon basil is one of those garden herbs that earns its space ten times over. In this dish it plays the role of both herb and aromatic — adding a brightness you'd otherwise need lemongrass or lime zest to achieve. If you don't grow it yet and you're in a warm climate like Florida, it's worth starting from seed. Find seeds on my website and grow your own Lemon Basil HERE.
