Recipe: Queen Charlotte Fish Stew, Provencal Style

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.