mediterranean fish stew

So, the fish stew which we had over Christmas was made again last night and it has now been confirmed: it’s a delicious recipe … and deliciously simple to make.

What I like about the recipe is that you literally just throw everything in a large pot and in less than 15 minutes you have a flavourful, fish stew. What’s even better is that it has so little oil, and only olive oil at that!

I’m sure there are many things it could be served over … to date we’ve tried it on rice, couscous, and upma (indian style semolina). I think the next fish stew adventure will probably include crusty french bread … but then again, that would just make me want to have it with a new cheese and a nice glass of wine … 🙂

Mediterranean Fish stew – (When I didn’t have the ingredient I’ve put my substitutions in brackets)

: Fish Stew served on Upma

1 package (680 g) pollock fillets (or whatever flaky white fish you have)
3/4 cup (150 mL) Tomato Puree (I used chopped tomatoes from a can)
1/3 cup (75 mL) Fish stock (I used a little water with vietnamese fish sauce)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) Chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp (30 mL) Chopped fresh parsley
4 to 5 Garlic cloves
to taste chopped fresh chili pepper (used about 1/4 tsp)
2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp curry powder (I used 1/2 tsp Ras El Hanout)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cardamom (didn’t have it)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil (I may omit this next time, or use only 1/2)

Place all ingredients except fish in a large skillet. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes and then turn heat down to a gentle simmer. Add the fish to the warm sauce and let simmer for 7 to 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with warm flat bread, rice, couscous or grains of your choice. Serves 4.

It hasn’t felt like a long time at all, but my last post was in early December! I wonder if anyone is really interested in reading one more holiday blog or cookie recipe at this point… but what the heck, I’m writing it anyway. It is my final ode to Christmas 2011!

The end of the year and the Christmas season included travel, catching up with friends, lazy mornings spending time around the breakfast table with family, too much to do and too little time, traditional holiday baking and of course copious amounts of holiday eating. Yes, I ate more treats than I’d like to admit, but can I really be blamed? If there is one time of the year to indulge, it’s at Christmastime, especially with the chocolates and assorted treats we had from around the world and the sweets my family baked up.

Moccachino Extraordinaire with Belgian chocolate shavings

Though we did forgo a few of our holiday favourites such as the gingerbread and torrone, we had the essential classics: shortbread, sprinkled with red and green coloured sugar, cheese straws, italian almond cookies with just the right chewiness and fruitcake – and not the dry store bought kind … the kind that requires soaking the fruit two months in advance and a careful “rumming” process that happens every two nights once the cake is revealed for the season.

For our main meals, we did have a traditional Christmas dinner, complete with a turkey roasted to perfection by mom and all the trimmings … but our holiday season also included a few unorthodox picks. Very good ethiopian takeout one evening which was so plentiful it lasted us three days and a lovely mediterranean fish stew, the recipe for which was discovered on the back of a frozen package of fish!

Well, the magic of Christmas has once again come and gone in a delicious blur, but here are some photos which help fill in the details and capture the good memories.

Now onwards to a new year, filled with new food and adventures!