Fish and chorizo stew

Fish and chorizo stew

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A great vehicle for all sorts of fish. Use a white or nearly white fish such as haddock, pollack, coley, pouting, bass or bream, then perhaps add pieces of squid or cuttlefish, mussels or even a scallop or two, sliced in half. Serves four.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp fennel seeds (optional)
200g chorizo, cut into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 sticks celery, chopped
100ml white wine
2 400g tins plum tomatoes, crushed with your hands
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 200g scrubbed mussels (or sliced squid or cuttlefish; optional)
Around 750g fish fillets (see intro), skin and bones removed, cut into largish pieces
A little chopped parsley and/or fennel, to finish (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole over a medium-low heat.
  2. Add the fennel seeds and cook for a minute or two, then add the chorizo and fry for a few minutes until the red fat starts to run.
  3. Add the garlic, onion and celery, and cook gently, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes, until the onion is nice and soft.
  4. Add the wine and cook until it has nearly all evaporated.
  5. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juice, and a little salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer.
  6. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until rich and thick.
  7. Taste the sauce, and add more salt and pepper if needed.
  8. You can leave it at this stage and come back to it, or chill or freeze it for another day. Either way, bring it back to a simmer.

If you are using mussels, first discard any that are damaged or open, then add them to the simmering sauce.
Cover the pan and cook for about five minutes.

Uncover, give the pan a shake, then add the fish, turn gently in the sauce, cover and cook for another five minutes or so, until the fish is just cooked and all the mussels are open (discard any that do not open). (If you’re not using mussels, just add the fish and/or squid, and cook for five minutes or so.)

Serve, scattered with parsley or fennel, if you like, with bread, rice, pasta or potatoes.