Spanish Fish Stew

This Spanish Fish Stew is bursting with flavour with garlic, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, fennel seeds and juicy tomatoes. Its a simple one pot meal in under 20 minutes.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Australian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 232kcal

Author Kim

Ingredients

300 grams / 10 oz. White Fish eg: snapper, barramundi, sweetlip, flathead
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ medium Red onion finely diced
½ cup Zucchini chopped into 1cm cubes
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika
2 teaspoons Sweet Paprika
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
1 teaspoon salt
400 gram / 14 oz. Chopped tinned tomatoes
1 cup / 250 ml Fish stock/broth
1 cup / 250 ml water
1 teaspoon tomato paste
½ cup Frozen peas
½ cup Pearl Cous Cous
Zest of 1 small lemon

To Thicken

2 tablespoons cornflour cornstarch
2 tablespoons tap water

Instructions

Cut fish into evenly sized chunks about 2.5cm by 2.5cm or 1 inch square pieces.
In a medium sized saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion, zucchini, garlic, paprika, fennel, salt, and chilli flakes. Cook for 2 minutes on medium to high heat.
Add tin tomatoes, fish stock, tomato paste and water, stirring through. Let it heat through and just before it starts to bubble add in lemon zest and stir.
Reduce head to medium and add cous cous . Stir through for 4 to 5 minutes until cous cous is just cooked.
Add peas and cook for 1 minute
Add fish and cook for a minute or two until fish is cooked through
To Thicken: mix cornflour and water in a small cup/jug until smooth and milky. Stir through the stew gently with a spoon for a minute or two, and it will gradually begin to thicken.
Serve with crusty bread and butter.

Notes

Fish: I’ve used both flathead and snapper for this recipe in the past. Any firm white fish (barramindi, sweetlip, cod, sea bass, halibut would be fine). You could even use salmon. Its important to cut the fish pieces into evenly sized chunks so that they cook evenly (and quickly) in the broth at the end. 2.5cm cubes or 1 inch cubes
Fish Stock/broth: If you can’t find fish stock, you can use chicken stock which will also add a nice flavour. Vegetable stock could also be used although it has less flavour. Avoid using all water instead of stock as much of the flavour will be lost.
Cous Cous: Pearl cous cous, also called isralei cous cous is the best to use as they are don’t absorb a lot of the liquid from the stew, instead they help to bulk it out and add a nice texture. Its available from the pasta aisle of Woolworths and Coles in Australia. Alternatively you could use, Orzo or Risoni pasta - which is a short pasta shaped like a grain of rice. Avoid using the finer smaller cous cous as it will make the stew too stodgy because it soaks up too much water.
Make it Vegetarian: Instead of the fish, use butter beans or cannelloni beans. Add them at the end, just like you would the fish.
Increase Heat Intensity: Instead of adding ½ a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes, increase it to 1 teaspoon. This will make it a good solid medium intensity level of heat.
Decrease Heat Intensity: omit the dried chilli flakes.

Nutrition