Summer Fish Stew Recipes

PORTUGUESE FISH STEW (CALDEIRADA)

Steps:

• In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic, stirring until softened, fragrant and golden, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices. Cook until tomatoes soften, about 4 minutes.
• Add the white wine, and simmer until most has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add stock, fish sauce ( if using chicken broth), saffron, a pinch of ground clove or allspice, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, bay leaves and fresh thyme. Add potatoes and bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low heat until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add fish, bring to a simmer over medium heat, give a gentle stir ( don't over stir or fish will break apart) and cook fish until it is just cooked through about 3-4 minutes. Turn heat off.
• Taste broth. Adjust salt, adding more if necessary.
• Garnish with fresh torn Italian parsley leaves, lemon wedges, chili flakes and crusty bread.

FISH STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until tender, adding water if onions
• begin to stick. Saute garlic for 10 seconds, then add tomatoes, 3 cups liquid of choice, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, squash and corn. Cover and bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until squash and corn are tender.
• Add fish, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until just opaque; season well with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.
• ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR KIDS: If your kids won't eat fish, then make stew through step 1, divide it into two pots and to 1 pot add 12 ounces diced boneless chicken to the other 12 ounces diced fish for the adults; garnish adults portion with crushed red pepper.

SIMPLE FISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan, add the fennel seeds, carrots, celery and garlic, and cook for 5 mins until starting to soften. Tip in the leeks, tomatoes and stock, season and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15-20 mins until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened and reduced slightly.
• Add the fish, scatter over the prawns and cook for 2 mins more until lightly cooked. Ladle into bowls and serve with a spoon.

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.

EASY FISH STEW WITH MEDITERRANEAN FLAVORS

Steps:

• 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.

SUMMER FISH STEW WITH ROUILLE

Steps:

• Twist the heads from the prawns, then peel away the legs and shells, but leave the tails intact. Devein each prawn. Fry the shells in 1 tbsp oil for 5 mins, until dark pink and golden in patches. Add the wine, boil down by two thirds, then pour in the stock. Strain into a jug, discarding the shells.
• Heat the rest of the oil in a deep frying pan or casserole. Add the fennel, onion and garlic, season, then cover and gently cook for 10 mins until softened. Meanwhile, peel the potato and cut into 2cm-ish chunks. Put into a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins until almost tender. Drain in a colander.
• Peel a strip of zest from the orange. Put the zest, star anise, bay and ½ tsp harissa into the pan. Fry gently, uncovered, for 5-10 mins, until the vegetables are soft, sweet and golden.
• Stir in the tomato purée, cook for 2 mins, then add the tomatoes and stock. Simmer for 10 mins until the sauce thickens slightly. Season to taste. The sauce can be made ahead, then reheated later in the day. Meantime, scrub the mussels or clams and pull away any stringy beards. Any that are open should be tapped sharply on the worktop - if they don't close after a few seconds, discard them.
• Reheat the sauce if necessary, then stir the potato, chunks of fish and prawns very gently into the stew. Bring back to the boil, then cover and gently simmer for 3 mins. Scatter the mussels or clams over the stew, then cover and cook for 2 mins more or until the shells have opened wide. Discard any that remain closed. The chunks of fish should flake easily and the prawns should be pink through. Scatter with the thyme leaves.
• To make the quick rouille, stir the rest of the harissa through the mayonnaise. Serve the stew in bowls, topped with spoonfuls of rouille, which will melt into the sauce and enrich it. Have some good bread ready, as you'll definitely want to mop up the juices.

SUMMER SEAFOOD STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy 8- to 10-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and next 8 ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until flavors blend and liquid is slightly reduced, about 45 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
• Add clams to cooking liquid. Cover pot and cook until clams open, about 10 minutes (discard any clams that do not open). Add cod, shrimp and scallops. Simmer until seafood is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle stew into bowls. Sprinkle with basil and serve