Spiced Seafood & Fennel Stew
My loose interpretation of a Tunisian fish soup, Chreime. It’s usually made with the day’s catch, and whatever vegetables one has on hand. I’ve used fish and prawns in this one, but I think it would be great with mussels too!
For fish, my go-to is always Kuhlbarra’s barramundi – the flesh is tender, silky, and flavourful. I even keep the skin on!
I love using harissa paste in my cooking – it adds spice and a lovely deep colour! In Singapore, I get mine at Elite Kosher, a supermarket found on the 2nd floor of the Jacob Ballas Centre at Waterloo Street. It’s about the size of a convenience store, but it carries an eclectic mix of products (biscuits, sauces, wines, sweets, meat, etc). I get my tahini there too.
This dish goes well with a side of tabouleh salad and couscous!
THE RECIPE
SERVES 3
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
½ yellow onion, sliced
100g fennel (or celery)
½ red capsicum, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp harissa paste*
150g small-medium sized potatoes, skin on, quartered
1 bunch coriander, separate stems and leaves
350ml fish or prawn stock
1 can chopped tomatoes
8 olives, pitted
400g white fish (e.g. barramundi)
5 tiger prawns
Salt
Pepper
Garnish
Handful of flat leaf parsley
Remaining leaves from coriander used earlier
Lemon juice
Extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
In a large casserole on medium heat, soften the onion, fennel and capsicum in olive oil until softened.
Add in the garlic, cumin seeds, and sweet paprika, and sautée for 2 min.
Stir in the harissa paste and mix well.
Add in the potatoes, coriander stems, and stock, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Cover and simmer for about 15 min until potatoes are cooked.
Add in the canned tomatoes and olives, and leave to simmer for 4-5 min uncovered.
Add in the seafood, make sure there is enough liquid to cover it. If not, add water as required. Bring it to a boil, covered for 3-4 min until the fish is cooked and the prawns turn pink.
At this stage, the stew would be quite watery, so remove the seafood and set them aside. Heat the remaining liquid over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the liquid is reduced slightly, and resembles a thick stew.
Season with salt and pepper as needed, and return the seafood to the pot.
Squeeze some lemon juice over, and garnish with coriander, parsley, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Notes
You can use tomato paste and chilli flakes as an alternative to harissa paste.
Nutrition
Per serving
Calories: 488kcal
Carbohydrates: 20g
Protein: 41g
Fat: 25g
Sugar: 12g
Sodium: 704.46mg
Fibre: 7.8g