Mediterranean Fish
Mediterranean Fish
Here’s a healthy version of a comfort food favourite. You don’t even need to make a fish stock for this wonderful dish — the aromatics and anchovies add a great depth of flavour. Even if you don’t like anchovies, use them. The dish doesn’t taste like anchovies at all!
Servings
4
Prep time
Cook time
Recipe
Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large brown onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb with fronds; dice the bulb & reserve the fronds for serving
- 800g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)
- 12 tsp sweet paprika
- Pinch saffron threads (optional)
- 500mL filtered water
- 4 thyme sprigs, tied in a bundle with kitchen string
- 700g firm white fish, such as ling or cod, pin-boned, skin removed & cut into large pieces
- Juice 1 lemon
- Sea salt & pepper, to taste
Method
- Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic cloves and anchovies into a paste. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery and fennel for 3–4 mins or until softened.
- Add the mashed garlic and anchovies. Cook, stirring, for about 1 min or until the mixture is fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika and saffron, if using
- Cook, stirring often, for 10–15 mins or until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and the mixture is aromatic
- Stir in the water and thyme sprigs and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer for 30 mins.
- Add the fish, then cover and simmer for about 4 mins or until the fish is just cooked through.
- Remove from the heat and remove the thyme sprigs. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve immediately, scattered with the reserved fennel fronds.
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