Old Stone Fish Stew Recipes

OLD STONE FISH STEW

Steps:

• Cut the fish into one-and-one-half-inch cubes. Set them aside.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or kettle over medium heat and add the onions, celery, green pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring, for five minutes. Add the wine, bay leaf and thyme. Cook for one minute. Stir in the tomatoes, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the fish and mussels, stir and cook over high heat for about three minutes. Add the shrimp and parsley and cook for three more minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately.

GRANDMA'S STONE SOUP STEW

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch with a lid oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the meat generously on all sides with salt and pepper and, working in batches if necessary, add to the pan. Sear the meat until it is well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Use tongs to help rotate the pieces of meat and remove them to a plate as they are seared. Set meat aside.
• Add the onions and peppers to the same Dutch oven and cook until the vegetables start to become tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, the onions and peppers have softened completely and most of the moisture has evaporated, another 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic, paprika and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Return the seared meat to the pot along with the root vegetables and sliced salami; stir well. Add the chicken broth and increase the heat to high to bring the stew to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat and vegetables are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and red-wine vinegar, and continue cooking until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork and the cauliflower is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with toasted rustic bread brushed with olive oil and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

SEXY FISH STEW

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir leek, shallots, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the melted butter until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir wine into leek mixture, increase heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
• Mix fennel and potatoes into leek mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add cream and stir to combine.
• Stir fish and tarragon into soup, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir gently, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA FISH STEW

Steps:

• Cut the bacon slices into 1-inch squares. Brown them in the bottom of a 10-to-12-quart stockpot over medium heat. Once bacon is crisp, remove it and reserve, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Whisk the tomato paste into the fat, making sure you scrape up all the brown bits left from browning the bacon.
• Turn the heat off and begin layering the ingredients in the stockpot. Start with a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of onions and garlic, followed by a layer of fish. Top the fish with roughly a third of the salt, a third of the chile flakes and 1 bay leaf. Repeat this layering process two more times.
• Fill the pot with enough cool water to just barely reach the top of the fish. (If there's a little fish peeking out over the top, that's O.K. - better than if it's swimming in water.) Cover the pot with a tightfitting lid and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (Throughout the cooking, resist the urge to stir.) Once it starts to boil, reduce heat and let it cook, covered, at a high simmer for about 15 minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness. They should be barely tender, not falling apart.
• Use a large spoon to remove the fat from the surface of the soup, and discard. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed. Then, with the stew at a good simmer, add the eggs one by one in a single layer over the top. (Crack each egg into a small cup before dropping it in.) Cook the eggs for 5 minutes until they are lightly set.
• As soon as the eggs are lightly set, use a large ladle to portion out the stew. A proper serving is at least half a fish steak, some potatoes, some onions and an egg swimming in broth. Shower each bowl with bacon, and serve immediately with a piece or two of bread, if desired.

OLD-FASHIONED BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Combine the flour and pepper in a bowl, add the beef and toss to coat well. Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large pot. Add the beef a few pieces at a time; do not overcrowd. Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch; add more oil as needed between batches.
• Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar and wine. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.
• Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Add broth or water if the stew is dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle among 4 bowls and serve.

FABULOUS FISH STEW

Steps:

• To make the saffron aioli, smash a clove of garlic, a tiny squeeze of lemon juice, and the saffron (if using) with a small pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar until it turns into a mush. Add a tablespoon of mayonnaise and pound again. Stir in the rest of the mayonnaise. Taste and season with a little more lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Give the mussels and clams a good wash in plenty of clean cold water and scrub any dirty ones lightly with a scrubbing brush, pulling off any beardy bits. If there are any that aren't tightly closed, give them a sharp tap. If they don't close up, throw them away.
• Heat a large, wide saucepan or stewing pot and pour in a splash of olive oil. Slice up the rest of the garlic and fry it in the oil until lightly golden. Add the wine, tomatoes and the basil stalks and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced a little.
• Add all your fish and shellfish in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Push the fish down into the liquid and put the lid on. Cook gently for about 10 minutes or until all the clams and mussels have opened and the fish fillets and langoustines or prawns are cooked through. (Discard any clams or mussels that don't open.)
• Toast the bread on a hot griddle pan and get out the serving bowls. Put a piece of toast in each bowl and ladle the soup over the top, making sure the fish is divided more or less evenly. Top each bowl with some fennel tops, basil leaves, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a big blob of saffron aioli.

FISH STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan melt butter.
• Add onion, garlic, leeks, celery and green pepper.
• Cook, stirring, until softened.
• Add tomatoes, seasonings and liquid.
• Add potato and carrots.
• Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.
• Add fish, cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes.
• Adjust seasonings.
• Garnish with parsley.
• Serves 4.

FISH STEW

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, wine and parsley in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

NORTH CAROLINA FISH STEW

Steps:

• Spray the inside of a large, stockpot with nonstick spray.
• Cut bacon into small pieces and place over the bottom of the pot. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add a layer of onion, followed by a layer of potatoes, then of fish. Repeat the layers until you run out of one ingredient. Continue to layer the remaining two ingredients until used up. Add cold water to cover everything. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally shaking the pot gently back and forth to agitate the contents and keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Don't stir or the fish will break into small pieces.
• Place tomato paste, one spoonful at a time, into the stew until it falls off the spoon. When the stew color changes to red, crack eggs, one at a time, into the stew, dropping them in different places. Let eggs cook until they are completely done, cutting into a yoke to make sure it is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper and serve.

NO STIR FISH STEW

Steps:

• Line the bottom of a large pot with bacon. Place a layer of potatoes over the bacon; then a layer of fish, in bite-size pieces; then a layer of onion slices, without separating the rings; and finally salt and pepper. Repeat layers, not including bacon, and finish with a final potato layer. Top with the chowder and crushed tomatoes. Pour in enough water so that all is covered.
• Cover and simmer, without stirring, over medium heat, until potatoes are tender -- 1 hour.

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.