Old Timey Fish Stew Recipes

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.

RUSSELL'S FISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Mix in the celery, onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in the tomatoes, water, wine, clam juice, and sherry. Dissolve bouillon cubes in the stew, and season with red pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.
• Mix the cilantro, shrimp, and fish into the stew. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until shrimp is opaque and fish is easily flaked. Remove from heat, and allow to sit 10 minutes before serving.

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.

QUICK FISH STEW

Steps:

• In a large kettle over moderate heat, saute' onion, scallions, and garlic in butter 3-5 minutes until very pale golden.
• Meanwhile, cut fish in 2" chunks, set aside.
• Add water, clam juice, wine, tomatoes, tomato paste and salt and pepper to kettle.
• Break up any large clumps of tomato, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
• Add fish, shrimp, peas, mussels and clams, cover and simmer 10 minutes longer.
• Sprinkle with parsley, taste for salt and adjust as needed.
• Ladle into soup bowls and serve with hot butter French bread.

SEAFOOD STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot, add the onions, potatoes, fennel, salt, and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock, garlic, and saffron to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the shrimp, fish, and mussels, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes. The fish and shrimp should be cooked and the mussels opened. Discard any mussels that don't open. Stir in the Pernod, orange zest, and salt, to taste. Serve ladled over 1 or 2 slices of toasted baguette.;
• Warm the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1¿2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. If not, you can make up the difference with water or white wine.

MEXICAN FISH STEW

Steps:

• Put the fish in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Add the lime juice and toss; set aside. Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and season with salt. Bring to a boil; add the corn and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all but 1/3 cup of the chopped onion to the skillet along with the thyme and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, chile powder and half of the cilantro and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, corn and reserved cooking water. Add the fish and lime marinade to the skillet and simmer, spooning the sauce over the fish, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the stew among bowls and top with the remaining onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
• Per serving: Calories 381
• Fat 10 g (Saturated 2 g)
• Cholesterol 85 mg
• Sodium 333 mg
• Carbohydrate 36 g
• Fiber 5 g
• Protein 39 g

JUST-IN-TIME PORK STEW

Steps:

• In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook broth over high heat, about 30 minutes, until reduced by half (about 4 cups). Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cut pork into 1-inch pieces. Season well with pepper. In 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Coat pork with 2 tablespoons of the flour; add to skillet, separating so pieces do not touch. Cook 2 minutes (do not move pork pieces until moisture begins to show on tops and pork has browned on one side). Turn pork; brown about 2 minutes longer. Remove pork from skillet to large plate.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat; add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the onions, carrots, turnips and fennel. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned (watch so vegetables do not burn). Add butter; cook 2 minutes longer.
• Sprinkle remaining tablespoon flour over vegetables in skillet; cook and stir over medium heat 1 minute. Increase heat to high. Stir in wine; heat to boiling. Cook until wine is reduced by half.
• Stir in reduced broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered 8 minutes. Stir in rosemary; simmer 2 minutes longer. Return pork to skillet. Stir in chard and beans. Cook until thoroughly heated.

SOUTHERN CATFISH STEW

Steps:

• Wash the catfish fillets and cut them into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
• Fry the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes in a large heavy saucepan; add the onion and bell pepper and cook until tender.
• Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
• Cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Add the fish and cook for another 20 minutes.
• Correct the seasonings if necessary and serve hot with cornbread.

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.

CATFISH STEW

Steps:

• In 4-quart nonstick Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and chili powder; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until onions are tender. Stir in tomatoes, water, rice, oregano, thyme, cumin and pepper sauce. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Rinse okra under cold running water to separate; drain. Stir okra, fish and bell pepper into tomato mixture. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fish flakes easily with fork and okra is tender.

QUICK FISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the garlic butter in a saucepan and gently cook the onion for about 5 mins until soft. Tip in the chopped plum tomatoes and any juice from the can, the balsamic vinegar and chilli flakes. Crumble over the stock cube, add the peppers and potatoes. Season, then simmer for about 15 mins until the potatoes are just tender.
• Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium, mix the rest of the garlic butter with 1 tsp of parsley and some seasoning. Toast the bread lightly on both sides, then spread one side of each slice with the butter and return to the grill until melted and golden. Keep warm.
• Add the mixed seafood and fish to the sauce and heat through for about 5 mins until the seafood is hot and the fish is firm and cooked through. Scatter with remaining parsley and spoon into bowls. Top each with 2 slices of bread and serve with green beans, if you like.

OLD-FASHIONED BEEF STEW

Steps:

• On a piece of wax paper, mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Roll beef cubes in the mixture to coat. Shake off excess. In a medium Dutch oven, melt shortening over high heat. When very hot, working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, add beef and cook until brown. As each batch is finished set aside.
• Return beef to the Dutch oven, and add 4 cups boiling water. Stand back, as it will splatter. Stir, and add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, onion, bay leaves, and allspice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add carrots, onions, and potatoes, and cook until vegetables are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 30 to 45 minutes more.