Fish Stew With Peppers Almonds And Saffron Recipes

FISH STEW WITH PEPPERS, ALMONDS AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole.
• Add the onion, bell pepper strips and garlic and season with salt and black pepper.
• Cover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rosemary, paprika and bay leaf and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the white wine and bring to a boil.
• Simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, water and saffron water and bring to a boil.
• Cover the casserole tightly and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes.
• Finely grind the almonds in a food processor.
• Stir the almonds into the stew and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Add the clams, cover and cook until most of them open, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add the fish and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and simmer until the fish is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Discard the bay leaf.
• Transfer to bowls and serve.
• Serve with crusty bread and a nice rich wine.

FISH TAGINE WITH SAFFRON & ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for a few mins until soft. Meanwhile, put the saffron in the hot stock and leave to steep. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli to the pan and cook for a few mins more. Tip in the spices and tomato purée, stir for a few mins until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, ground almonds, orange zest and juice, honey and saffron-scented stock, making sure that you use all of the saffron strands. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins, until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened a little.
• Add the fish to the pan, making sure the pieces are all nestled under the sauce. Cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 2-3 mins until just cooked. Check seasoning, add the coriander and scatter with the toasted almonds. Serve scattered with the chilli, along with some couscous and a blob of natural yogurt, if you like.

FISH STEW WITH ROAST GARLIC & SAFFRON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. To make the saffron and garlic paste, cut the whole heads of garlic in half horizontally. Place the garlic heads, cut-side up, on a small baking tray. Drizzle over a little olive oil and season with salt. Cover with foil and bake for 40-50 mins until softened. Remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 15-20 mins until the garlic has turned golden brown.
• Meanwhile, make the soup base. Chop the fennel, celery and onion into small dice and thinly slice the red chilli. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped vegetables. Grate the garlic into the pan and add the fennel seeds. Stir well, then cover and sweat for 10 mins. Add the saffron and bay leaves, and cook for a further 10 mins until the vegetables start to soften. Pour in the Pernod and wine, bring to the boil, then add the passata and 400ml water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 mins until all of the flavours have started to work together, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool a little.
• Transfer the soup to a jug blender and blend until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan - you may need to do this in batches. If the soup needs thickening, reduce over a medium heat. When it is the consistency of pouring cream, remove from the heat and set aside, or leave to cool and chill in the fridge until needed. The base of the soup can be made 3 days ahead.
• Meanwhile, for the paste, pour the Pernod into a small saucepan and add the saffron. Bring to the boil, add the olive oil and warm gently. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
• When the garlic is golden brown, remove the tray from the oven and squeeze the cloves out into the bowl of a pestle and mortar. Add a large pinch of flaky sea salt and pound to a paste. Slowly add the saffron-infused olive oil, stirring constantly. Transfer to a clean container and chill until needed.
• Bring the soup base to the boil in a large pan, then turn down to a light simmer and taste for seasoning. Add the chunks of prepared fish and squid, and gently poach the fish in the soup for 10 mins, or until it is just cooked. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls, piling up the fish in the centre. Spoon on the saffron and garlic paste and sprinkle over some more parsley. Serve with toasted slices of baguette and the extra saffron and garlic paste on the side.

ANYTIME FISH AND SHELLFISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onions and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in garlic, bay leaf, thyme, saffron and red pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and tomatoes, and simmer 1 minute. Add stock and bring to a slow boil over medium. Add potatoes and a good pinch of salt. Adjust heat to a brisk simmer. Cook with lid ajar until potatoes are just done, about 10 minutes. Taste broth - it should be well seasoned - and adjust as necessary. (You can do this up to an hour ahead of time.)
• As the broth simmers, add the clams, and cook for 5 minutes, covered with the lid ajar. Add cod and mussels on top, cover and cook until the mussels are done, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and let the stew steep for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mussels and clams open. Serve in wide soup bowls.

ALMOND-CRUSTED FISH WITH SAFFRON SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Season the fish and spread a little butter over the flesh side of each. Put in a shallow, buttered, ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the flaked almonds, lightly pressing them on. Bake for 12-15 mins until the flesh flakes easily.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Gently fry the shallot with a small knob of butter in a small pan. Add the stock and saffron, bring to the boil, then boil until reduced by about two-thirds. Stir in the crème fraîche and bubble for a minute or so until slightly thickened. Pour a little sauce around each portion of fish. Lovely served with tiny, buttered new potatoes and green beans, or a fresh green salad.

SAFFRON-AND-ORANGE-SCENTED SEAFOOD STEW

Steps:

• In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. When it shimmers, add tomato paste and shrimp shells. Cook, stirring, until shells turn pink and opaque, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water and gently boil 5 minutes. Strain shrimp broth into a heatproof bowl; discard solids. Stir saffron into broth.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a braiser pan or wide, shallow pot over medium. Add celery, shallots, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and thyme. Cover and cook until tomatoes collapse and release their juices, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine and boil until mostly evaporated.
• Add clams to pan, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, covered, just until they begin to open, 6 to 8 minutes (discard any that don't open). Transfer clams to a large heatproof bowl and cover with a plate to keep warm. Add mussels to pan and cook, covered, just until they begin to open, about 5 minutes (discard any that don't open). Transfer mussels to bowl with clams.
• Add seafood stock, shrimp broth, and orange zest and juice to pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove about half of clams and two-thirds of mussels from their shells, reserving meat and juices and discarding empty shells.
• Stir shrimp and fish into pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, just until shrimp and fish are firm and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Return shelled and in-shell clams and mussels and any accumulated juices to pan, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, sprinkle with celery leaves and parsley, drizzle with more oil, and serve with bread, if desired.