Easy Fish Stew With Mediterranean Flavors
This is a typical fisherman’s stew. No need to make a fish stock; water, aromatics and anchovies will suffice. Use anchovies even if you don’t like them, as they add great depth of flavor, not to mention omega-3 fats. And don’t worry: the dish won’t taste like anchovies.
4 large garlic cloves, cut in half, green shoots removed
4 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for 4 minutes, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with liquid
1 quart water
1 pound small new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered or sliced
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a strip of orange zest, a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley, and a dried red chile if desired, tied together with a string
Freshly ground pepper
1 to 1 ½ pounds firm white-fleshed fish such as halibut, tilapia, Pacific cod or black cod, cut in 2-inch pieces
- Place the garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mortar and pestle, and mash to a paste.
- Add the anchovy fillets and mash with the garlic. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion, celery and carrot with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about five minutes.
- Add the pureed garlic and anchovy.
- Cook, stirring, until the mixture is very fragrant, about one minute, and then add the tomatoes.
- Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and the mixture smells aromatic, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the water, potatoes, salt (to taste) and the bouquet garni.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Turn the heat to low, cover partially and simmer 30 minutes.
- Taste, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.
- Remove the bouquet garni.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper, and stir into the soup.
- The soup should not be boiling. Simmer five to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets) or just until it flakes easily when poked.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, taste once more, adjust seasonings and serve.
Tip
Advance preparation: You can make this through step 12 up to three days ahead. Keep in the refrigerator, bring back to a simmer and proceed with the recipe.
Others suggest:
1: Add some white wine after the tomatoes and anchovies
2: Use Italian seasoned canned tomatoes.
3: With the white wine (before water) add a like 6-8 oz clam juice.
4: let it simmer about 2x as long as recipe says before adding the fish
5: 2-3 cups of water only
6: Add the chopped parsley as a garnish is the finishing touch
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
337 calories; 8 grams fat; 1 gramsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 34 gramscarbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 31 gramsprotein; 64 milligrams cholesterol; 2273 milligrams sodium