This Spanish fish stew is quick and easy. Use any sustainable round white fish so see what's on offer. Serve it with Fairtrade rice or couscous, or some crusty bread if you're in a real hurry.
Put the couscous in a heat proof bowl, add the lemon zest and juice together with the stock. Cover the bowl with a tight fitting lid or upturned plate and leave it for 5 minutes. Uncover the bowl and fluff the couscous up with a fork
In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until it softens. Add the garlic, and paprika and fry for 1-2 minutes then add the balsamic vinegar.
Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir together well.
Add the fish to the pan and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
Serve with the rice or couscous etc and garnish with the parsley leaves.
Notes
The Nutritional information shown is just for the stew and doesn't include couscous or any other side dishes
Recipe Tips
Use whatever white fish you like in this recipe. Cod, coley, pollock, hake and haddock all go well. Flatter white fish such as sole or plaice will not hold together very well. Fish cooks very quickly when diced. To check if your fish is cooked just remove one chunk, it should flake easily. There is a difference between smoked paprika and sweet smoked paprika. I like to use the sweet smoked paprika as I find the sweetness goes very well with the tomato sauce. Always drain and rinse the chickpeas before adding them to the pan. This recipe uses cooked, ready to use chickpeas which are usually tinned or canned. Dried chickpeas have a much longer cooking time.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with couscous or rice or crusty bread.
Storage
Store in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. Freeze for 6 - 8 months. If you are making a batch, the best way to freeze a fish stew is to make the sauce, cool it, then stir in the uncooked fish and freeze. The fish will cook as you reheat and it will only take 3 - 4 minutes. Defrost it overnight in the fridge then re-heat in the pan until the fish is cooked through. You can freeze the fish stew with cooked fish but eat up within one month as the texture of the cooked fish can change when it is frozen.