Case for Stewing Fish
As a recipe writer (and eater), I can over-focus on developing super-sweet, heavily toasted, and rich meals. The flavors that come from roasting, caramelizing, and other non-enzymatic browning processes are delicious, but they’re not the only way to make something taste good. And sometimes it’s nice to be kind and gentle, especially when you’re cooking fish.
When you boil fillets of hard white fish such as cod or halibut in a seasoned broth, it heats up and fills with flavor without drying it out (even if you cook it for too long). It’s also a very adaptable one-pot meal – just add a few potatoes 10 minutes before the fish and a quick-cooked vegetable along with the fish. We take care of your carbs and vegetables and you have an easy yet satisfying meal with a delightful bistro atmosphere.
When it comes to cooking broth, there are many options, but you might be wrong about being overly flavorful. If you’re unsure of where to start, make sure you have an onion (like garlic, onion, or shallots), a source of salt (at least 1/2 teaspoon of salt, or a tablespoon of soy sauce or fish sauce), some greens and some sugar, honey, or some other sweetener. Wine also helps. The liquid itself should have a slightly fortified flavor, making it an ideal foil for starchy potatoes and soft, layered fish. The ratio of eight ounces of fish and five ounces of potatoes to a cup and a half of liquid is enough to submerge everything in a small Dutch oven, but not enough to turn it into soup.
Since you are not going to burn, you will want to get some umami somewhere else. In the recipe below, I used both miso and some tomato paste, and I really liked how it turned out. (Feel free to add different stocks and additives; the cooking time will remain the same.) To cook a very large serving for one, or a reasonable amount for two, you will need:
- A little olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of a Dutch oven)
- 3 large cloves of garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
- Zest of 1 Meyer’s lemon (or a small regular lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1/2 glass of white wine
- 1 glass of water
- 1 tablespoon dark miso
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 ounce baby potatoes (about 5 small), halved
- 8 ounces of hard white fish such as cod, haddock, or halibut, cut into 0.5 inch chunks
- 1 1/2 ounce snow peas
Add olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and salt to a cold Dutch oven and turn the burner to medium. Let the garlic and zest cook for five minutes, until they are golden brown. (Be careful not to burn it. I don’t know how strong your burner is.) Cook for another minute, stirring occasionally, then add the tomato paste and continue cooking until the paste turns dark brick red and looks rather dry. Deglaze with wine, scraping off the rest of the mass with a wooden spoon, and let it brew for two minutes.
Add water, miso, thyme, honey, and potatoes, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and let the potatoes simmer until almost cooked (can be pierced with a knife, but still firm enough). Add fish and peas, cover and cook for about four to five minutes, until fish is browned and peas turn bright green. Serve immediately in a shallow bowl and garnish with zest, some green onions, or both.