Instant Pot Coconut Crusted Alaska Pollock

These coconut crusted fish filets are a delicious way to enjoy Wild Alaska pollock and can be made in under 20 minutes for your favorite new pressure cooker fish recipe!

This post is sponsored by ASMI. All opinions are my own. 

I’ve spent much of the new year exploring new and easy pressure cooker fish recipes. My pressure cooker has been a life saver in the kitchen, so far, and today’s Alaska pollock recipe is one of my favorites. 

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is always to include more seafood in my diet. I don’t take part in regular New Year’s Resolutions, where the focus is on things to get rid of or “do better” in your diet. 

Instead, I like thinking about things to add to my lifestyle and routine that can make a positive difference. Seafood is always one of them. 

We do a decent job of getting our seafood once a week, but I think this year I want to focus on it being twice a week consistently.

This coconut fish recipe will certainly help (anything in the Instant pot makes life easy).

I think the combination of panko bread crumbs and coconut makes for the best fish breading. 

If you’ve never tried coconut crusted fish, this is the perfect opportunity to! I’ve done panko crusted fish several times but adding the coconut flakes was a fun new layer. 

Plus, pressure cooker seafood recipes are the new thing – so easy and quick!

What Does Alaska Pollock Taste Like?

Wild Alaska pollock is a white fish with mild flavor. The mild flavor makes it a great option for fish tacos (add this coconut crusted pollock to your next fish taco) and for breading, which is what we’ve done with this recipe. 

Alaska is the nation’s largest source of wild caught seafood. Seafood from Alaska is always wild and sustainable, harvested seasonally and available fresh, frozen, smoked and canned year-round. 

Meaning, Alaska seafood is very accessible. 

Plus, nutritionally speaking, Alaska seafood offers several long chain omega 3 fatty acids, like EPA and DHA (great for moms and babies alike!), Vitamin D, selenium and more. 

What Do You Need For This Coconut Crusted Fish Recipe?

• Alaska pollock fillets
• unsweetened coconut flakes
• panko bread crumbs
• cumin
• salt pepper
• garlic powder
• lemon
• baby potatoes
• asparagus
• egg
• honey

 

Can You Cook Frozen Fish In A Pressure Cooker?

Yes, both fresh and frozen can work for this pressure cooker fish recipe!

I found that the breading stuck easier to the fresh Alaska pollock than the frozen, but frozen will certainly work for this recipe. 

No need to be intimidated anymore about finding frozen pollock recipes. 

To make with frozen fish, just rinse under water first. Make sure to add 2 minutes to the pressure cooker setting on your pressure cooker. 

So, rather than 3 minutes manual release, you would do a 5 minute manual release. 

This Alaska pollock recipe would also be delicious with rice (I want to make it with wild rice!). You can use any veggies you like or have on hand. Roasted carrots seem delicious, too. 

How To Make This This Breaded Fish Recipe

You’ll need a few bowls to make this breaded pollock recipe.

First, one with the coconut flakes, panko and spices. And another with the egg and honey. 

Dip your Alaska pollock into the egg mixture and then gently place it into the coconut flake/panko mixture, taking care to make sure the flour gets spread evenly around the filets on both sides).

I tried cooking the asparagus and potatoes at once and the asparagus got a little mushy. So, I decided it was best to cook the asparagus first.

When you’re ready to cook the potatoes and fish, place the potatoes in the bottom of the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water, and then add the trivet. On the trivet, gently place your coconut fish and then replace the pressure cooker lid and seal it. 

Turn the pressure cooking setting on for 5 minutes if using frozen pollock filets, 3 minutes if using fresh pollock.

Note that the pressure cooker takes about 10 minutes to reach pressure and will then begin counting down. At first, I was wondering why it didn’t just take 3 minutes, but then I realized it needs time to actually build that pressure. 

Set it for a 3-5 minute quick release. 

Sit down at the table and enjoy!

I love the lemony coconut flavor of the fish, and the potatoes and asparagus are such nice accompaniments. 

Instant Pot Coconut Crusted Alaska Pollock

Yield: 3

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

These coconut crusted fish filets are a delicious way to enjoy Alaska pollock and can be made in under 20 minutes in the pressure cooker!

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Ingredients

• 1 lb asparagus
• 2 Tbsp butter

Coconut Crust Breading

• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 3 Wild Alaska pollock fillets
• 3 lemon slices, for topping
• 1.5 lb baby potatoes

Instructions

1. Add ½ cup water to the bottom of the pressure cooker and place the trivet or steamer basket on top with layered asparagus. Add a few tablespoons of butter, if desired. Lock the lid and set the pressure cooker to high for 0 minutes + quick release.
2. When the asparagus is done cooking*, unlock the lid and place asparagus aside. Season with salt and pepper and more butter, if desired.
3. Clean inside of pressure cooker and spray with olive oil or butter to prepare for potatoes and fish.
4. Add baby potatoes to bottom of pressure cooker, and pour 1 cup of water over them. Coat with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.
5. In a small bowl, crack two eggs and mix in two tablespoons of honey.
6. In another bowl, mix coconut flakes, panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  
7. Dip Alaska pollock filets first into egg mixture bowl and then into the shredded coconut bowl, making sure the filets get completely coated.
8. Place trivet on top of potatoes and lay coated pollock filets on the trivet side by side, skin down.
9. Top each filet with 1-2 lemon slices, if desired.
10. Close the lid and turn the valve to Sealing position. Set on “pressure cooker” setting and manually set the time for 3 minutes on high (5 minutes for frozen fillets).
11. When the timer sounds and is done cooking, use the quick release method to release the pressure.
12. Remove the trivet with coconut fish and remove the potatoes, and put on a plate and serve with asparagus.
13. Top with additional lemon slices or lemon juice and serve.

Notes

*If you like your asparagus crisper when cooking, after the pressure cooker setting Is done, you can turn the pressure cooker to the “sautee” setting with salt, pepper and olive oil for 1-2 minutes. If not, skip that step.

**I used a quick release with the baby potatoes and fish because they cook quickly, and you don’t want them overly mushy. This is also why I recommend using fresh fish for this recipe, however, it will still work with frozen fish filets.  

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 672Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 222mgSodium: 772mgCarbohydrates: 83gFiber: 11gSugar: 18gProtein: 38g

Plate and enjoy.

For some other seafood recipes, you may like:

• Cod Sliders with Cranberry Chutney
• Alaska Halibut with Avocado Tomato Salsa
• Sheet Pan Breaded Honey Mustard Salmon
• Honey Ginger Shrimp and Veggies