This recipe is a very delicious and easy one. Would be good show-off even for your guests. The fish stock adds a lot to the taste and you can use the fish stock later for making a fish soup. This recipe also has steps to prepare a healthy fish stock besides the fish stew itself.
You need fish with white meat. I have used sea bass but any other similar fish would do. Prepare/buy the fish in fillets without the skin but make sure to spare the head and the bone of the fish for the stock. I prefer to cut the fish fillet to large pieces, you can keep them as half a fish or cut to smaller pieces, this would not change the taste.
You can also add mushrooms and shrimps to this recipe. Do not forget that the mushrooms will be leaving out lots of water.
First prepare the stock. If you use a pressure cooker you will be finished quicker. However do not think of using a pressure cooker for the stew as the fish will cook very quickly and will be over cooked if you use a pressure cooker.
After the fish stock is ready cool it and store it in freezer if you have any left over. I think this dish is a wonderful option as it means cooking fish without having a smelly kitchen. Perhaps the only bad part about this dish is that the broth is so delicious it makes you eat a lot of bread.
Hope you will try and like it.
Here are the tools I have used while preparing this recipe:
Fish Stock and Stew
Ingredients
Fish Stock
- fish bones and heads of a fish
- 2 stalks celery stalks with leaves
- 1 carrot large
- 1 onion large
- 2 garlic cloves
- 5-6 stalks parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 5-6 whole black peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- cold water to cover
Fish Stew
- 1 kilogram fish fillet 3 medium sized sea bass
- 1 carrot small
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 green pepper
- 1 potato
- 100 grams green peas optional
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon lemon’s juice
- 1 tablespoon flour optional
- 200 millilitres fish stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 pinch black pepper to taste
Instructions
Fish Stock
- Cut all the vegetables to large pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the vegetables for a few minutes until they change color slightly.
- Add the fish heads and bones to the vegetables together with black peppers and bay leaves.
- Also add cold water to cover and boil about 45-60 minutes. You can shorten this time by using a pressure cooker to 5-10 minutes.
- When the time is up, drain using a wire colander with small holes. This is a stock that can be kept in the freezer to use later. It can be used for the fish stew as well as to prepare fish soup.
Fish Stew
- Use a wide iron skillet. Add the olive oil and the butter together and heat until the butter melts.
- Chop the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Crush the garlic cloves and sauté another minute.
- Chop the celery stalks to small pieces and add. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Peel and chop the carrots and the potatoes to small pieces and add. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add a tablespoon of flour if you choose to and mix. The flour will work as a thickening.
- If you choose to add the green peas at this stage too. Frozen peas will be fine.
- Then add the fish stock and bring to boil. Cook until the vegetables are almost ready. Check the carrots by pocking a thin knife to understand.
- Taste and adjust salt, pepper and/or lemon to taste.
- Then add the fish gently. Cook – without mixing too much for about 5-7 minutes. Fish cooks fast. Try not to overcook.
- Serve with well chopped parsley garnish.