spicy fish stew

It always surprises me the amount of people that don’t like fish.  Hopefully this spicy fish stew will not only show you how delicious fish can be but also how simple it is to cook.  For me it’s about choosing the right fish and this can be somewhat daunting because there is a lot to choose from.

Boat to Box

The amazing people at Ish Fish take all the worry away. They have created a ‘boat to box’ fish delivery service that works exactly like those fruit and veg boxes we know and love.  Essentially it’s a box of fish that is delivered to your door that comes direct from the boat.  They use only sustainable sourced fish and it’s all caught fresh, packaged, put on ice and sent in the same day.  Even their packaging is 100% recyclable which is actually brilliant.

ishfish.uk

The website is easy to navigate too.  They have some standard boxes to choose from but you can also create your own ‘pic n mix’ box of fish.

I got sent some incredible salmon, hake, mackerel and smoked salmon, a lot of which will go into the freezer as fish freezes very well,  but it means I’ll have plenty of wonderful fish dishes and recipes to share soon but in the meantime I wanted to make something with the fresh fish and this spicy fish stew is perfect for this cold wintery weather.

• 1 banana shallot (or one small white onion) – finely chopped
• a stem of celery – finely chopped
• 1/2 fennel bulb – finely chopped
• 1 medium hot red chilli – finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic – crushed or grated
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• a teaspoon smoked paprika
• 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 litre of stock made up of half stock and half white wine
• 2 salmon fillets – cut into large chunks
• 1 hake fillet – cut into large chunks

This is enough to feed 4 for dinner served with rice but it can also be portioned and frozen if you’ve used fresh fish that hasn’t been previously de-frosted. It’s also a one-pot meal which is epic for mess.  I used my shallow cast-iron casserole dish with a lid.

Place your cooking pot on a medium heat and add some olive oil.  Add the onion, celery, fennel and chilli and sauté gently until it’s all soft – this should take roughly 8 mins.

Halfway through this cooking time stir in the garlic, oregano and smoked paprika.

Once everything is nice and soft, stir in the chopped tomatoes, the stock and the wine and let the whole thing gently bubble away for about 25 – 30 mins.  It should reduce by about a third.

Place the pieces of chopped fish into the stew, pop the lid on and let the whole thing gently plop away for no more than 10 minutes… and it’s as simple as that.  Serve with rice, or as it is, like a soup.

Eat and of course, enjoy!