Recipe: Provençal Fish Stew
This delightful stew is fresh and bright, perfect for a spring or summer lunch served with a dollop of homemade mayonnaise and crusty bread; or, when the weather is cold, it makes a surprisingly luxurious and delicious, but dairy-free, filling for a fish pie underneath fluffy mashed potato. The fish is all commonly available these days, but the recipe here is not strict, the only thing that you want to avoid are oily fish such as mackerel, go for bony fish instead. You can get your fishmonger to fillet the fish for you but ask for all of the carcasses as they are crucial (especially the heads, more on that below). The pastis offers a nice subtle background note, but it should be used with moderation so as not to overpower the wine and if you don’t have any (it’s very 70s drink after all) then just leave it out completely. The recipe looks more complex than it is, this is relaxed Mediterranean cooking so just go with the flow.
Ingredients (Serves 4-6):
1 x Red mullet 1 x John Dory 1 x lemon sole
1 x white onion, diced 2 x carrots, diced 1 x celery branch, diced 4 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 tbsp tomato puree 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed with the back of a knife 2 x anchovy fillets A pinch of cayenne pepper A pinch of saffron 1 x large bunch of parsley 1 x thyme 2 x bay leaves
2 x tbsp olive oil 1/2 litre of fish stock or vegetable bouillon 1/2 bottle dry rosé or white wine 2 measures of Pastis (e.g. Ricard) Salt and Pepper
Method:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the carcasses from the fish, the saffron, cayenne pepper, thyme, bay leaves, parsley stalks, plenty of black pepper and the pastis. Mix well. It is important to include the heads as they are rich in collagen and natural gelatine that will thicken the stew, but you should remove the gills with a good pair of scissors or ask your fishmonger to do it.
2. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan or casserole, sweat the onions, carrots and celery in a good glug of olive oil.
3. Once the onion is translucent, add the tomato purée and the chopped tomatoes, cook for a couple of minutes to remove any acidity, then add the wine.
4. Once the wine has simmered for a couple of minutes, add the fish carcasses (and everything with them) and the garlic and the anchovy fillets.
5. Cover with stock and then leave to simmer for 45 minutes (no longer), stirring occasionally.
6. Once cooked, blend everything in a blender or food processor, and then strain through a sieve. This step can also be quite well achieved by just mashing with a potato masher and then straining, but the results are less good.
7. Return the strained liquid to the pan and reduce until it has a satisfyingly soupy consistency.
8. Divide the fillets into fish-finger sized morsels and then poach them gently in the sauce. Adjust the seasoning and serve garnished with sprigs of parsley.
