Fish Stew Recipe For Two

This fish stew recipe, a simple dish, has a sop-worthy tomato cream base made with leeks, wine, curry and clam juice with perfectly cooked, tender pieces of fish. Inspired by our travels to Iceland, this is one of our favorite suppers. Served with a green salad, a loaf of rustic bread, and a glass of wine, this stew makes for a homey dinner for two.

Porramature is a selection of traditional Icelandic foods consisting mainly of meat and fish products cured in a traditional manner, cut into slices or pieces and served with rúgbrauð (dense and dark rye bread), butter and brennivín (an Icelandic akvavit). Fresh fish became a cheap and readily available commodity in Iceland and a staple in the cuisine of fishing villages.

Plokkfiskur or “plokkari’, as it’s often called, is a simple dish.   Traditionally made with leftover fish and potatoes, serving the purpose of making do with yesterday’s leftovers. 

Every “traditional” dish seems to have many variations.  The most common plokkfiskur includes potatoes, sauteed onions, haddock (as cod is more expensive and exported to other European countries like Spain), bechamel and pepper. 

In Iceland, curry powder is a popular fish stew ingredient and to take the traditional recipe to the next level, grated cheese is added. 

This fish stew inspired by my Iceland travels, will use halibut, no-fuss clam juice and wine broth, with thickening agents of potatoes and tomato paste.  As a finishing touch that will elevate this to haute cuisine status we add cream and stir in grated gouda and lemon juice.  Yum!

The variations are endless!

Ingredients

This simple to make dish needs the following ingredients:

For Seasoning the fish we will use a dry brine:

• kosher salt
• sugar
• freshly ground pepper

For the stew:

• halibut or other white fish like cod or striped bass – ask the grocery store meat and fish counter to remove the skin for you
• Butter and olive oil – used to cook the vegetables
• leek
• celery stalk
• shallots  - No shallots?  Use a yellow or white onion
• white wine – for the broth, use any white wine you like to drink.  My favorite is a Chablis – a white wine made with 100 percent Chardonnay grapes
• baby creamer (Yukon gold) potatoes.  Look for small baby round Yukon gold potatoes.  If all you have are potatoes larger than 1-½ inch diameter, cut in half or quarter them
• freshly ground black pepper – using freshly ground pepper gives the stew a fresher and spicier flavor
• ground curry - found in the spice aisle of your grocery store
• bottled clam juice – a key ingredient, found at your local grocery store in an 8-ounce ,shelf stable bottle.  If you need to make this for someone with a shellfish allergy, substitute water, white wine or fish stock.  It work’s but it’s just not as tasty.
• bay leaf - bay leaves provide light, earthy notes that complement the flavors of the leeks, shallots and fish.
• cream
• freshly squeezed lemon juice – the lemon juice is more like a garnish, we add it right before ladling the soup into the bowls for a bright citrus hit of flavor
• gouda cheese (optional) – the ingredient that elevates the stew to a preparation equal to haute cuisine
• Garnishes include whipped cream, chives and celery leaves – all are optional, but are beautiful finishing touches

Note:  ingredient measurements are in the recipe card below.

How to make a good Icelandic fish stew

The secret to making a good fish stew is to start with a thick cut of fish and seasoning it with a dry brine of sugar, salt and pepper.  This brine seasons the fish evenly throughout and not just on the surface.  

Preparing the fish. If the fish is frozen, move to the refrigerator the night before making the stew. In a small bowl, mix together salt, sugar and pepper.

Sprinkle halibut filet evenly on all sides with salt mixture and place on wire rack, set in rimmed baking sheet. Let the fish marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 and up to 45 minutes. 

Make the stock.  Slice leeks into ¼” rounds.  Rinse, tossing with hands so that leeks separate into individual rings, and drain thoroughly.  In a stock pot melt butter and oil together.  Toss in leeks, celery, and shallots, cook until leeks begin to soften.  Now add salt, curry powder, and tomato paste. 

Stir in the wine, then add potatoes, clam juice, bay leaves and water, bring to a boil until potatoes are fork tender.

Add the Fish to the pot along with cream, stir to combine. 

Cook, stirring gently and occasionally, until halibut is opaque.  The fish will cook quickly needing about 3 – 4 minutes.

Finishing touches

Grate the gouda cheese. Remove stew from heat, remove bay leaves and stir in gouda and lemon juice, letting sit for 3 – 5 minutes. 

Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add more wine to achieve desired consistency.  Too Bland? Add ¼ teaspoon of salt at a time.  Need more bright citrus flavor add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice at a time.

In a small bowl add ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream.  Using an electric mixer (I use a hand blender with the whisk attachment) beat until soft peaks appear. 

Serve the soup with a spoonful of homemade whipped cream, chives, and celery leaves.

Variations

Shrimp and scallops seafood stew. You can use a combination of white fish, shrimp and scallops or skip the white fish and add shrimp and scallops.  Consider, adding 1 cup of diced tomatoes, leaving out the potatoes.  Garnish with whipped cream and basil.

Shrimp and scallops cook quickly, so be sure to cook until the shrimp just turns pink and the scallops are opaque, about 2-3 minutes.

Related

Looking for other seafood recipes for two? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Fish Stew: