I came across this recipe a few weeks ago on NPR's Fish Stews: Comfort Without The Work. I love seafood and I love a good stew, but the idea of a good comfort meal with seafood, beyond the chowders, is not an everyday phenomenon. There is nothing wrong with a warm bowl of creamy, hearty chowder, like the kind you will have to get at Union Oyster House the next time you are in Boston, however, I don't always look forward to the after-chowder chow-down feeling where I have to be rolled back home. By the way, the cornbread at the Oyster House was delicious too!
Then I discovered this fish stew and I just HAD to try it.
1 tbsp vegetable/canola oil (I think coconut oil might be really good here!)
2 shallots thinly sliced
1 clove garlic minced (I didn't have any garlic around, so I used a dash of garlic powder)
2 cups chicken stock
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 lemongrass stalk finely chopped
2 serrano peppers, one cut into rings another cut into two pieces
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp (light) brown sugar
zest of one lime
1/4 lb shrimp (a little over that amount is fine)
1 small fillet of tilapia, about 1/4 lb (you can use any other firm white fish, but this dish is so flavorful, I recommend not wasting your money on a more pricey kind)
2 sea scallops
Salt
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
2 tbsp basil chopped
For serving:
Lime wedges
Steamed white rice
Prep tips:
1. Marinating the seafood with a sprinkle of salt enhances the flavor of the seafood pieces in the dish. A little something I learned from my mom. For this dish, you can do this step right before you start cooking.
2. "Chopping lemongrass" is not really chopping as much as it is hitting the stalk hard with a knife. This YouTube video might help in that venture.
In a stock-pot or a dutch oven, warm the oil and then sweat the shallots in medium-low heat until barely brown. Add the garlic. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Add the stock, coconut milk, lemongrass, pepper, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and lime zest. Turn the heat up to high. Let the mixture boil. Turn heat down to medium high and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The length of time really depends on how thick you want the sauce to be. I never had this dish anywhere else, but I am guessing, not chowder thick. I just kept tasting for salt and when I thought the concoction boiled down enough to have the right amount of salt (thanks to the fish sauce), it was time for the fishes!
Add the basil, cilantro and the seafood. Turn the heat up to high and cook for 3 minutes. Overcooking seafood is synonymous to sin. Save thy soul! Serve immediately as a standalone soup or with white rice. I love lime, so my bowl got a good dash of lime juice.
The simplicity of this stew/soup/stoup is what makes it so darned good. You taste each and every element down to the bit of sugar and vinegar with every spoonful. My favorite elements were the lemongrass, lime and the coconut milk.
The recipe is actually for four servings, but after our dinner for two, only the lemongrass stalks were left behind. You feel full, but it's a good full. You don't immediately sit down making your running diary for the next month.
It's delicious, it's pretty and it smells like heaven's banquet (bet they feed you light there). And it's quick! Comfort food without the dis-comfort of spending hours making it!
Then I discovered this fish stew and I just HAD to try it.
1 tbsp vegetable/canola oil (I think coconut oil might be really good here!)
2 shallots thinly sliced
1 clove garlic minced (I didn't have any garlic around, so I used a dash of garlic powder)
2 cups chicken stock
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 lemongrass stalk finely chopped
2 serrano peppers, one cut into rings another cut into two pieces
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp (light) brown sugar
zest of one lime
1/4 lb shrimp (a little over that amount is fine)
1 small fillet of tilapia, about 1/4 lb (you can use any other firm white fish, but this dish is so flavorful, I recommend not wasting your money on a more pricey kind)
2 sea scallops
Salt
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
2 tbsp basil chopped
For serving:
Lime wedges
Steamed white rice
Prep tips:
1. Marinating the seafood with a sprinkle of salt enhances the flavor of the seafood pieces in the dish. A little something I learned from my mom. For this dish, you can do this step right before you start cooking.
2. "Chopping lemongrass" is not really chopping as much as it is hitting the stalk hard with a knife. This YouTube video might help in that venture.
In a stock-pot or a dutch oven, warm the oil and then sweat the shallots in medium-low heat until barely brown. Add the garlic. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Add the stock, coconut milk, lemongrass, pepper, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and lime zest. Turn the heat up to high. Let the mixture boil. Turn heat down to medium high and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The length of time really depends on how thick you want the sauce to be. I never had this dish anywhere else, but I am guessing, not chowder thick. I just kept tasting for salt and when I thought the concoction boiled down enough to have the right amount of salt (thanks to the fish sauce), it was time for the fishes!
Add the basil, cilantro and the seafood. Turn the heat up to high and cook for 3 minutes. Overcooking seafood is synonymous to sin. Save thy soul! Serve immediately as a standalone soup or with white rice. I love lime, so my bowl got a good dash of lime juice.
The simplicity of this stew/soup/stoup is what makes it so darned good. You taste each and every element down to the bit of sugar and vinegar with every spoonful. My favorite elements were the lemongrass, lime and the coconut milk.
The recipe is actually for four servings, but after our dinner for two, only the lemongrass stalks were left behind. You feel full, but it's a good full. You don't immediately sit down making your running diary for the next month.
It's delicious, it's pretty and it smells like heaven's banquet (bet they feed you light there). And it's quick! Comfort food without the dis-comfort of spending hours making it!
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