ISO fish stew recipes

[kimbaby]

what exactly do you put in this? I have heard of it but never had it....?

[Constance]

This recipe is like the one like my Great-grandma Snarr used. Her husband was a fisherman in Gardner, Maine. Grandpa used to call it "fish & point" because the kids would point at the fish, but their father got it. They cleaned up the potatoes and broth. Evidentally, it nourished him well, because he worked his way through college, got his engineering degree, then put his little brother through college as well.

Fish Chowder

1 cup diced potatoes
3 slices of bacon
1 med. onion
3/4 lb fish fillets
1/8 tsp thyme
1 c half and half
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 tbl fresh parsley

Bring water to a boil in a Dutch oven; add potatoes.
Cover and cook 10 minutes. Fry bacon until
transparent; add onion, and cook until onion is soft
and bacon is lightly browned. Add bacon, onion ,
bacon drippings, fish fillets, and thyme to potatoes.
Simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir
in half and half , salt, pepper, simmer 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley.

[Robo410]

classic fish stews usually begin with onion and garlic chopped and sauteed, often with bacon (or fat back/salt pork of some type), but olive oil will do fine.

the broth is important: discarded fish parts head tail bones shells from shrimp boiled and strained. CLam juice can substitute. Dry white wine. herbs such as bay leaf, thyme, orange zest, rosemary. Tomato may be added, or milk (if not using wine) a milk or cream stew would go with dry sherry.

fish fillets...cod, hadduck, monkfish, sturdy fish that won't fall apart is added 10 or 15 min before serving because it cooks quickly and overcooked fish is dull. shellfish can go in. The Portuguese add spicy sausage too! A Louisiana gumbo is a fish stew. A FIsh Creole is a fish stew. Often served over rice. Chowders are fish stews, containing potatoes.

Many great regional recipes out there. Enjoy.

[Sandyj]

Constance, I like (always do) your Grandma Snarr's recipe(s). What a treasure you have! Robo410, I like your information and advice, you always make such good sense...now then.....my Roseanne tells me that at her school (U. of Del.) the cooks (chefs?) have a standard Friday night item on the menu called....get this...."Fishy Assortments". I think it must be a stew, but, OY VEY, what a name, aye?

[ironchef]

I've used a modified version of this recipe and it's pretty good:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fishermans-stew

[grumblebee]

What would be the difference between fish stew and fish chowder? I always thought fish stew would be stock based, whereas fish chowder was milk/cream based. Can a "stew" be milk/cream based as well?

[Erik]

Cajun Seafood Chowder

One of my favorites...

[kimbaby]

constance,again you have posted a recipe that sounds so wonderful :)

[Robo410]

chowders do not have to contain milk, ie manhattan clam chowder. Stews certainly can...think of all those with cream sauces or using sour cream like stroganoffs etc.

Chowder defines the cauldron pot it's cook in, and the start with bacon onion and garlic.

words often have vast regional differences

[kitchenelf]

This is an all-time favorite - you can make it spicy or not spicy depending on your taste. My son doesn't like a lot of cilantro so I gave him a bowl without - he even said it wasn't the same without it so even though it's not much it is an integral part of the flavor. A bowl of this with some grilled bread and a glass of red wine and I'm happy!

This stuff is addicting – I have tried different fish with this but tilapia is the right texture for this stew. Cod is ok but it lacks in flavor.

SPICY FISH STEW

Before you start on anything cut the tilapia into roughly 2” chunks and season with salt and pepper. This will help flavor the fish – otherwise it is kind of bland. By the time you are ready to use it the salt will have given it flavor. While mahi mahi is a good fish it is totally the wrong texture as is tuna also.

3 large red bell peppers
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 shallots, chopped
2 14 1/2-ounce cans chopped tomatoes in juice
1 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
2 pounds tilapia (tried orange roughy, tilapia, mahi mahi, and cod – tilapia hands down is best) cut into 2-inch pieces

Cut fish and season with salt and pepper before you prepare peppers. The fish has a much better flavor when seasoned ahead of time and is REALLY hard to pick up a little salt flavor after it is in the stew already.

Char bell peppers under broiler until blackened (I do mean black) on all sides. Place peppers in glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 to 20 minutes. Peel, seed, and chop peppers.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet or stockpot over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until very soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in peppers, tomatoes with juice, white wine, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in cilantro and lime peel. Add fish; simmer until just opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into bowls and serve.

Makes 6 servings