Full Moon Fishylicious Stew

Rambling

Whenever I go grocery shopping, I always feel a little bit sorry for the fish counter guy. He often stands idly, even dejectedly, while shoppers elbow each other at the adjacent deli counter, grabbing for their next-in-line numbers from that plastic dispenser thing that never seems to work right. On the other side, The Meat Men seem almost surgical in their long white lab-like coats, deftly handling all manner of loins and chuck and rump. Fish Fellow must settle for working in the coldest corner of the store, surrounded by ice chips and deathly shades of grayish-white and pink gloss laid out before him, while trying not to get too attached to the doomed lobsters in the gurgling tank that kids mercilessly tap. I make a last-minute switch to fish for tonight’s dinner, finding wild caught FAS (frozen-at-sea) haddock on sale. A bracing full-moon night, perfect for a spicy fish stew…

Note on my self-developed recipes: I am not a big one for exact measurements, timeframes, quantities. I go with my gut, my nose, and my taste buds. Let’s call it “impressionist” cooking.

Roast 

Full Moon Fishylicious Stew

Ingredients

• Few tablespoons/glugs of extra virgin olive oil
• Large red onion, chopped
• Few cloves garlic, minced
• Italian seasoning
• Large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• Bunch fresh asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1-2″ pieces
• (2) 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 16 oz. firm white fish fillet, cut into 2-3″ chunks (I used haddock, because it was on special on this week)
• V-8 Hot & Spicy vegetable juice
• Crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Shredded parmesan, to top

Directions: 

In large saucepan over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add a few tablespoons of Italian seasoning, and saute for about a minute. Add bell pepper and asparagus, and continue sautéing for several minutes until tender crisp.

Add diced tomatoes with juices, and pour in enough V-8 juice to make the mixture “brothier” (i.e., almost covering vegetable mixture). Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in fish chunks and a tablespoon or two of crushed red pepper. Cover and simmer until fish is cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve topped with shredded parmesan. Don’t forget the crusty bread and bold wine!

Tags: asparagus, canned diced tomatoes, easy fish stew, fish stew, haddock, healthy fish stew, vegetable fish stew