Recipe: Queen Charlotte Fish Stew, Provencal Style

Ling cod, halibut cheeks and salmon belly make for a hearty fish stew

Credit: Flickr/kansasphoto

Puree the fish stew to give it a smooth texture

Ling cod, halibut cheeks and salmon belly make for a hearty fish stew

Here’s a savoury taste of chef Ryan Stone’s West Coast cuisine.



Ingredients

  • 1-1/4 cups canola oil

  • 1/2 lb. ling cod, diced

  • 1/2 lb. halibut cheeks, diced

  • 1/4 lb. salmon belly, diced

  • 2 onions, diced

  • 2 fennel bulbs, diced

  • 4 celery stalks, chopped

  • 1/4 lb. butter

  • 7 Tbsp. fennel seeds

  • 1 large pinch saffron threads

  • 2 Tbsp. curry powder

  • 1-1/2 Tbsp. Espelette chili or cayenne powder

  • 1 lb. tomatoes, diced

  • 1 cup white wine

  • 1 russet potato, peeled and diced

  • 8 cups fish or vegetable stock

  • Salt to taste



Instructions

  1. Heat the canola oil in a large pot.
  2. Pat the halibut and salmon dry on paper towelling, then shallow-fry in the oil.
  3. Once the fish is golden brown, remove it from the pot and set aside to drain in a colander.
  4. Repeat this process with the onions, fennel bulbs and celery, then discard the oil.
  5. Add butter, fennel seeds, saffron and spices to the fish and gently fry them for 1 minute, while scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
  6. Add the tomatoes and return the fried fish and vegetables to the pot.
  7. Add the white wine and allow it to come to a boil, and then add the potato and stock.
  8. Cook at a low simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
  9. Purée the soup until quite smooth with a hand-held blender then pass it through a medium sieve.
  10. Adjust the salt to your liking, and serve.

Recipe courtesy Caren McSherry from the Gourmet Warehouse
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Originally published in TV Week. For daily updates, subscribe to the free TV Week e-newsletter, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.