Tuna Toast

Dinner For One #3: Cod Stew


Since the previous entry was about cat food, I figured I'd better put in a real food post for my Dinner For One series. I've had a pack of cod in my freezer for over a month now. I bought it to have the next day...possibly serve it with lemon and capers, or maybe grill with some teriyaki sauce, but I just never got around to it. It's not that I'd forgotten about the poor fish...it's actually been nagging me in the back of my mind that I'd better use it before it turned into a freezer-burned brick. I just never got the cod craving after the initial thought, so there it sat, getting pushed further and further into the back of the freezer to sit, doomed, with the bag of lotus roots that moved in over three months ago.

mise en place

Then I was inspired when I was looking over one of my daily blog reads- Simply Recipes. She had posted her father's fish stew recipe and it just sounded so delicious, I couldn't wait to try it. The cod would finally see the world outside of the freezer! I loved that the stew was not cream based- not that I don't love cream soups but it's kind of scary to inhale that much dairy fat in one meal.

The secret ingredient

I tweaked the recipe a bit by using leeks in addition to the onions, adding lots of fresh herbs and tossing some corn and one Yukon Gold potato into the mix. As the scent of white wine, thyme, garlic and oregano wafted through the house, I felt it was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. After turning off the heat and letting the flavors meld together, I poured myself a bowl along with a slice of toasted pumpernickel and had The Perfect Supper. The cod was flakey and the white wine quite pronounced which complimented the sweetness of the corn and potatoes nicely. This will definitely go into regular rotation as the weather gets cooler. I'm sure it would be great with any white fish and any additional vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans) that you'd need to use up. I suppose a splash of cream wouldn't hurt it either- if you're in the mood for a creamier stew. A real keeper!

Even though this makes a lot of stew, it's great to have in the fridge when you're at home alone for those nights you just don't feel like cooking. Of course I put 1/2 in the freezer so that J can try it when he gets home next week!



Cod Stew (adapted from Simply Recipe's Dad's Fish Stew Recipe)



1 TBS butter
1TBS olive oil
2 leeks, sliced (white and light green parts only)
1 cup of chopped yellow onions
1 medium Yukon Gold potato cut into small cubes
Corn cut off of 1 ear of sweet white corn
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 TBS fresh thyme
1 TBS fresh oregano
1 cup of fresh chopped tomato (about 1 medium sized tomato)
12 oz of clam juice (or shellfish stock)
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 lb cod fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 TBS of tomato paste.

Heat butter and olive oil in a stockpot, add leeks and onions- sauté for 4 minutes until soft. Add garlic, potatoes and corn and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add parsley, thyme and oregano, stir well. Add tomato, clam juice, white wine and tomato paste and let simmer for another 5 minutes, or until wine alcohol has evaporated. Add cod fillets and simmer for about 6 minutes or until fish has just cooked through. Serve garnished with freshly chopped parsley.

Cod recipes, soup