Southern Fish Stew Recipes

NORTH CAROLINA FISH STEW

Steps:

• Cook bacon until crisp over medium heat in an 8 to 10 quart Dutch oven or heavy pot (I recommend a 10 quart), about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off heat, remove bacon and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Set bacon aside and leave fat in pot.
• Add potatoes, onions and fish in layers (in the order written) in the pot over the fat. Do not stir.
• Pour in tomato soup and stewed tomatoes with juices.
• Add salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and red pepper.
• Add just enough water to cover (approximately 5 cups). Do not stir.
• Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil/high simmer (medium to medium low).
• Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender (but not falling apart) and fish is fully cooked.
• While stew is at a gentle boil, add eggs one at a time (break the eggs and put the raw eggs into the stew, then discard shells) in a single layer on top of the stew. Cook until eggs are fully cooked (about 4 to 5 minutes). Note that the eggs will break up into chunks while they're cooking.
• Season with additional salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and/or red pepper, if desired.
• Return reserved bacon to stew or serve topped with reserved bacon.

SICILIAN-STYLE FISH STEW RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in 5-quart Dutch oven (like this one) over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and a little salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp each). Cook, stirring regularly, until softened (about 4 minutes). Add thyme, red pepper flakes and garlic and cook briefly until fragrant (about 30 more seconds).
• Now, stir in the white wine and reserved tomato juice from can. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced by about 1/2. Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, raisins, and capers. Cook for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until flavors combine.
• Pat the fish dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Insert the fish pieces into the cooking liquid, and give everything a gentle stir so that the fish pieces are nicely covered in the cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and cover. Let sit off heat for another 4-5 minutes so that the fish will finish cooking. Fish should be flaky when gently pulled apart with a paring knife. Finally, stir in the chopped parsley.
• Ladle the hot fish stew into serving bowls, top each with a few toasted pine nuts, if you like. Serve with your favorite crusty bread! Enjoy!

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA FISH STEW

Steps:

• Cut the bacon slices into 1-inch squares. Brown them in the bottom of a 10-to-12-quart stockpot over medium heat. Once bacon is crisp, remove it and reserve, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Whisk the tomato paste into the fat, making sure you scrape up all the brown bits left from browning the bacon.
• Turn the heat off and begin layering the ingredients in the stockpot. Start with a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of onions and garlic, followed by a layer of fish. Top the fish with roughly a third of the salt, a third of the chile flakes and 1 bay leaf. Repeat this layering process two more times.
• Fill the pot with enough cool water to just barely reach the top of the fish. (If there's a little fish peeking out over the top, that's O.K. - better than if it's swimming in water.) Cover the pot with a tightfitting lid and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (Throughout the cooking, resist the urge to stir.) Once it starts to boil, reduce heat and let it cook, covered, at a high simmer for about 15 minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness. They should be barely tender, not falling apart.
• Use a large spoon to remove the fat from the surface of the soup, and discard. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed. Then, with the stew at a good simmer, add the eggs one by one in a single layer over the top. (Crack each egg into a small cup before dropping it in.) Cook the eggs for 5 minutes until they are lightly set.
• As soon as the eggs are lightly set, use a large ladle to portion out the stew. A proper serving is at least half a fish steak, some potatoes, some onions and an egg swimming in broth. Shower each bowl with bacon, and serve immediately with a piece or two of bread, if desired.

SOUTHERN FISH STEW

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, heat the bacon fat over medium-high heat and saute the chopped onion, stirring often, until it just begins to color around the edges, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add the okra and Cavender's seasoning and stir well. Saute this for 3 minutes or so if you have fresh or frozen okra. If you are using dried, just mix it around a bit.
• Pour in the water, stock and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and add salt to taste. Add the hominy, beans and sausage. Simmer, don't boil, for 15 minutes.
• Add the fish and simmer another 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped chives and serve. If you want to bulk this up a bit, crush Saltines into the soup while eating.

INSTANT POT FISH STEW

Steps:

• Using sauté setting - add bacon to pot and cook until almost crispy. Add tomato paste to pot, mix well, and cook for about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Then turn off heat.
• Add a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of onions. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add a layer of fish and season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Repeat layers again, ending with a layer of fish on top.
• Pour in seafood stock. You want the liquid to just barely touch the bottom of the top layer of fish. So, if need be, add a little water to achieve that. Lock lid and cook for 3 minutes at high pressure.
• Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure. Remove lid and skim as much fat from the top as you like. I think a little fat is good, but you can skim it all off if you like.
• Switch back to sauté setting. Crack eggs into empty spaces on top. Once all the eggs are in, switch back to "keep warm" setting and place the lid back on pot.
• Allow edge to poach in the residual heat. For slightly runny eggs (like I prefer), let them sit for about 7 minutes. But for hard cooked eggs, it'll probably take 15 or so. To serve... Gently scoop out stew, making sure to get all the way to the bottom so that you get some bacon! Top each bowl with an egg or two.

SOUTHERN CATFISH STEW

Steps:

• Wash the catfish fillets and cut them into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
• Fry the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes in a large heavy saucepan; add the onion and bell pepper and cook until tender.
• Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
• Cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Add the fish and cook for another 20 minutes.
• Correct the seasonings if necessary and serve hot with cornbread.

CATFISH STEW

Steps:

• Brown bacon or fatback in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat until crisp. Add onions and celery then sauté until onions are tender (3-5 minutes).
• Add tomatoes, ketchup, worcestershire, seasonings and potatoes then stir well. Add water to the pot until potatoes are just submerged.
• Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Directions for using catfish fillets: Add catfish, cover then continue cooking for 10 minutes. Proceed to Step 5.
• Directions for using whole, dressed catfish: Add whole, dressed catfish, cover then continue cooking for 15 minutes or until catfish is cooked through. Remove catfish from the pot then remove the cooked fish from the bones and skin. Discard bones and skin. Add cooked catfish back to the stew then gently stir. Proceed to next step.
• Taste for seasoning then add salt and pepper if desired. Remove from heat, cover then allow stew to rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.

FISH AND POTATO STEW

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in onion, olives, and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add cooked potatoes, tomatoes, wine, fish stock, and tomato paste. Mix well and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Add fish fillets. Mix carefully and simmer until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 4 minutes.

BROWN STEW FISH

Steps:

• Heat a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Deep-fry the whole snapper until lightly brown, approximately 4 minutes.
• Saute the onion, pepper, thyme, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup of oil in a large saute pan, for about 2 minutes. Add fish sauce and the fried fish. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the tomato, and let simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and place on a serving platter.

OLD TIMEY FISH STEW

Steps:

• 1. In a large stock pot, cook bacon until done, remove to plate, keep warm.
• 2. Add onions, cook until soft about 5 minutes.
• 3. Crumble up your bacon,and return to the pot, add potatoes, fish fillets, and enough water to cover.
• 4. Cook over medium heat until potatoes and fish are almost done.
• 5. Add the 2 cans of tomato paste and stir well. Be careful not to stir the stew too much or else the fish will break apart. Lower the heat to a simmer.
• 6. Add hot sauce to taste or to your liking. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• 7. Crack the eggs whole one at a time into the stew,let them poach. Be careful as you stir them. Let the eggs cook until they are firm. Taste your broth and adjust your seasonings if needed.
• 8. Turn off the heat. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!