This post first appeared on Chicagoist.

A pound and a half filet of cod in the freezer and all out of ideas for what to do with it. Sure, we could grill it or pan fry it, or even bake it, but we’ve done all those things before. They’re all delicious, but not new or exciting. And then along to the rescue comes Elise Bauer at one of our favorite food blogs Simply Recipes. For Lent Elise reposted a recipe for her dad’s fish stew. Intrigued? Yes, we were.

We’ve made our fair share of fish and we’ve made our fair share of soups and stews, but never combined the two. And honestly? We were sort of frightened by purchasing and adding 8 ounces of clam juice. Really, where does clam juice come from? Do they squeeze a bunch of clams and package the juice? Are they pulverized? Do they soak the clams in water to flavor it and then strain them out? Ask Chicagoist – some help over here please! Who knows? What we do know is that we had nothing to worry about. The stew is delicious. Especially with a few oyster crackers or some crusty bread. Actually, we ate it with some leftover calico bell pepper muffins.

Fish Stew
6 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. of chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 c. of fresh chopped tomato (about 1 medium sized tomato)
2 tsp. of tomato paste
8 oz. of clam juice
2/3 c. dry white wine
1 1/2 lb fish fillets (use halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass), cut into 2-inch pieces
Touch of dry oregano, Tabasco, thyme, pepper
Salt

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté 4 minutes. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste and cook 2 minutes longer.

Add clam juice, dry white wine, and fish and simmer until fish is cooked through, less than 10 minutes. Add seasoning. Salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Serves 4

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