I’m always looking for ways to bring big flavors to the dinner table. This simple recipe achieves that by showcasing a trio of favorite ingredients: sriracha, creamy coconut milk and leeks. I love sriracha with almost everything. It’s flavorful without being overly spicy — and the coconut milk is a perfect partner, adding body and silkiness to the dish and also tempering the heat. The leeks melt very luxuriously into the sauce and make a wonderful accompaniment to the fish. A drizzle of sriracha butter and a sprinkling of salted, toasted coconut amplify the base flavors and also add a little bit of extra luxury.

Cooking fish en papillote is my favorite foolproof method for cooking fish.The sealed, steamy cooking environment helps keep fish very moist, and the sauce creates itself in the packet as the fish cooks. You also have to love a weeknight dinner that’s light on clean-up!

As the fish serves as more of a blank canvas for the other star ingredients, I prefer a light, neutral fish such as cod or halibut, but any not-too-delicate fillet you like would be just fine.

Fish En Papillote with Coconut, Sriracha and Leek

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 halibut or cod fillets, about 4 ounces each, patted dry

¼ cup full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk

2 to 3 tablespoons sriracha

Juice of half a lemon

1 large leek, trimmed, washed well and julienned

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup unsweetened, flaked coconut

1 tablespoon butter

Chopped cilantro

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut two 10-by-16-inch rectangles of parchment paper or foil; fold them in half (so they are 10 by 8 inches). As a rule of thumb, the parchment, when folded in half, should be large enough to encase the fish fillet with a 3 or 4-inch border all the way around.

In a small bowl, stir together the coconut milk, sriracha and fresh lemon juice. Open each piece of folded parchment paper and spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of sauce onto one side. Reserve the rest for plating the final dish. Top the sauce with half the julienned leeks and a fish fillet. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Repeat to create the second serving.

Fold the parchment paper over to cover the fish and make small folds along the edges to seal the parchment parcel. (There are many helpful videos online that demonstrate this process.) Place the parchment parcels on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes. Toast the flaked coconut in a dry skillet set over medium heat, stirring continuously until lightly golden. (Don’t leave the coconut unattended as it burns easily.) Season the toasted coconut with a big pinch of salt and immediately transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter and stir in 1 teaspoon sriracha.

To plate the dish, swipe the reserved coconut-sriracha sauce onto two plates. Gently transfer the leeks and fish to each plate. Brush the fish with sriracha butter, then sprinkle with toasted coconut and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Stacie Dong is a San Francisco food writer.