I bought a beautiful piece of Chilean Sea Bass at the market, before I knew that this is the only fish Mike doesn’t like. Oops! I was sure he’d like it if I cooked it up with plenty of flavor and love. I decided that a winter night calls for some type of fish stew. I’ve never really made anything like this, but I’ve had it before in restaurants, seen something similar on the food network, and figured I could come up with something that would be good and maybe even change Mike’s mind about this white fish. I really wanted a tomato based soup; when I started to gather my ingredients, I was shocked to discover that we were out of canned tomatoes. A little quick thinking turned up some tomato paste, always a good thing to have on hand for emergencies such as this.
What I discovered, is that perhaps I like Chilean Sea Bass even less than Mike. The broth was delicious and flavorful, it’s the taste of the fish that seemed to be the problem – I found it to be bitter and not at all how I imagined it in my head! I think this recipe would be good if you use a different white fish, or if you actually like Chilean Sea Bass.
It made me think of dinners as a kid. My parents made us try what was served before making a decision. If after trying a small portion, we did not like the meal, we were allowed to help ourselves to a bowl of cereal, PB & J or an english muffin.
I finished my bowl, picking out the fish. In the back of my head, I was wondering if I should pour myself a bowl of cereal.
Sea Bass Stew
Serves 4
1 lb. Chilean Sea Bass
3 parsnips
1 medium onion
6 carrots
4 white potatoes
1 qt. vegetable stock
1 qt. water
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1. Quarter and slice onion.
2. Peel carrots and parsnips. Slice parsnips on the diagonal and carrots into circles.
3. Cut potatoes into large cubes.
4. Heat large saucepan over medium high heat.
5. Add olive oil to coat bottom of pan.
6. Add onion and stir to coat, approx. 1 minute.
7. Add parsnips and stir.
8. Add potatoes and stir to coat.
9. Continue to cook, stirring regularly for several minutes, until potatoes begin to soften slightly.
10. Add carrots and stir to combine.
11. Add Bay leaves.
12. Add vegetable broth, water, tomato paste and salt.
13. Adjust heat to bring to simmer.
14. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
15. Prepare fish. Wash under cold running water and pat dry.
16. Cut skin off of fish.
17. Cut fish into large cubes.
18. Add parsley and thyme to stew.
19. Continue simmering until potatoes are mostly soft, another 10 minutes.
20. Remove bay leaves.
21. Add chunks of fish and stir to combine.
22. Cook fish 5-10 minutes until just cooked through.
23. Adjust seasoning to taste.
