(Nearly) Fishless Fisherman's Stew Recipe with Vegetables
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 Bowls
I love mock meat. well, some of it anyway. Some mock meat is quite convincing and some do not even attempt realism - just a savory chewy thing. And sometimes, for me, that's enough
But so far I have yet to find a convincing (or tasty) substitute for fish.
On a recent trip to Avila Beach, California, a walk on the pier had me longing for a bouillabaisse type of dish. A quick look at the most popular fisherman's stew recipes called for over 8 oz of fish per serving!
So I set out to create a fisherman's stew recipe with much less fish and lots of vegetables.
This recipe uses 1.5 oz of fish per serving and we soak tofu in clam juice and then add plenty of veggies to round it out.
This (nearly) fishless fisherman's stew recipe is the first of what I am calling "Low-Meat" recipes (yes I know it's fish!). The idea is to take a classic meat animal protein dish - something that just doesn't work well with mock-meat - and use just enough meat to be satisfying. And then enhancing the health quotient with an unreasonable amount of vegetables.
I can hear the purists crying foul (or fowl) - but to them I say, "find yourself a good kelp-based recipe". Meanwhile, please hand me the bread and let me enjoy my 1.5 oz of fish in my first low-meat (or low fish) Fishermans Stew recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 Large carrot diced (about a cup)
- 1 cup Fennel bulb sliced
- 2 Medium Stalks of Celery (about 1 cup, sliced)
- 1 Tsp crushed red pepper (more or less as you like it)
- 2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped4 (or more!!) large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 15-ounce can whole or crushed tomatoes (with the juice)*
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 8-oz bottle of clam juice
- 1/2 Tsp dry oregano
- 2 Tsp dry thyme
- 1 Bay leaf (leave whole and fish out before serving - if you can find it)
- 1 Pinch of Saffron Threads (for optional bouillabaisseiness)
- 1 Chopped dried red chiles (optional)
- 1 cup Red Potato - Diced
- 6 oz fish fillets (white fish like halibut, sea bass, cod, red snapper, etc), cut into bite size pieces
- 1 container (14 oz) Firm Tofu
- 1 large bunch of Kale (about 2 cups chopped and stemmed)* I used a "No Salt Added" variety and it tasted fine
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into bite-size pieces soak the cubes in the clam juice
- Chop the onion, carrot, celery, & fennel - set aside together
- Chop the Parsley and Garlic - set aside together
- Measure out the thyme, oregano, bay leaf, & dried red chile - set aside together
- Wash & chop the kale and set aside
- Wash and chop the potatoes unpeeled
- In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute ingredients from step one for about 5 minutes
- Add the parsley & garlic and saute another 2 minutes
- Add the clam juice (reserving the tofu for later) also add the tomatoes, wine, and the dried spices (thyme, oregano, bay leaf, saffron, & chile) - Cook for 5 Minutes
- In a separate pot start boiling 2 cups of water (which you'll use to cook the kale)
- Add the potatoes to the pot with all the other ingredients. Stir and cook 10 minutes
- When the water is boiling add the kale and cook for 2 minutes
- Drain the kale and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking (you don't want mushy kale)
- Cut fish into bite-size pieces
- After potatoes have cooked for 10 minutes, add the tofu and fish and cook 3 more min.
- Serve with a rustic crusty (preferably whole-grain) bread (bread not included in the nutrition info)
Courses Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Bowl (1/4 of recipe)
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 275 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 8 g | 12% | |
Saturated Fat 1 g | 5% | |
Unsaturated Fat 3 g | ||
Cholesterol 15 mg | 5% | |
Sodium 410 mg | 17% | |
Total Carbohydrates 24 g | 8% | |
Dietary Fiber 7 g | 28% | |
Sugars 8 g | ||
Protein 24 g | 48% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
