We were deeply into the Korean series: The King: Eternal Monarch, and one of the characters, The Prime Minister of The Kingdom of Corea (not one of our faves, I just do not trust her) has just gone to visit her mom, who is a fish monger, and demands her favorite pollack stew.
And that is what set to to thinking about a nice fish stew.
Cioppino was out, because my mom-in-law is visiting, and she doesn’t do spicy well.
But then, I got to thinking about cod, which is mild and sweet (especially after I’ve soaked it in milk for a couple of hours), and then sweet potatoes and chick peas and spinach and tomatoes and crusty sourdough bread – so – stew!
Yes, I would have liked a bit more spice; but the end result was well-received by both mom-in-law and her baby boy, so, WIN!
INGREDIENTS
•12 oz cod fillets
•Milk
•2 tbsp olive oil
•1 cup diced onion
•1-1/2 cup peeled and diced sweet potato
•3 garlic cloves, minced
•1 (16 oz) can chick peas, drained and rinsed
•1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
•8 oz clam juice
•1/2 cup white wine
•1/8 tsp dried oregano
•1/8 tsp dried thyme
•1/4 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce – or your fave hot sauce, to taste
•1/4 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1 cup packed baby spinach
•1 tbsp sherry vinegar
First things first; place your cod in a container and pour milk over to cover the fish. Cover the container and stash in the fridge for an hour or two. I do not recall who showed me this trick, but it does seem to make most any white-fleshed fish taste fresher and sweeter – it also works especially well with scallops.
Once the fish is done soaking, heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the diced onion and sweet potato, tossing to coat well with the oil.
Cook, stirring often, for ten or 15 minutes, until they are both tender, but the sweet potato pieces still holds their shape.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or so, just until you can start to smell the garlic.
Stir in the chick peas, tomatoes, clam juice, white wine, hot sauce, and seasonings and continue to cook, stirring every now and then, for another ten to fifteen minutes, until the stew has thickened a bit.
Add the baby spinach, the cod, and the sherry vinegar, then cover and cook for another five minutes or so, until the spinach is wilted and the cod flakes easily.
Enough tasty stew for four to six, especially with that crusty sourdough bread!