Galician-Inspired Fish Stew

A hearty Caldo Gallego (Galician Broth) is a celebrated comfort food served in Galicia. Given its popularity, we’ve taken key elements of this caldo and Galician cuisine to create a satisfying fish stew. Galicia is known for having spectacular seafood, therefore it was only natural to make this dish. Potatoes, lacón (pork shoulder) and grelos (turnip tops) are important elements of the caldo, which have been incorporated/replaced into this stew in a way that keeps the flavor profile while making ingredients easily accessible at your local grocery. The lacón has been replaced with pancetta, but it can be substituted with bacon too. Grelos can be a bit difficult to find so you can substitute with spinach as listed on the recipe but be sure to keep the turnips. Finally, this dish calls for Albariño from Rías Baixas to enhance its flavor. This rich, creamy stew is ideal for the cooler months to come – enjoy!

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 oz pancetta (or bacon), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 medium onions, chopped coarse
• 3 Tbsp flour
• ½ cup Albariño white wine from Rías Baixas
• 3 cups fish stock (homemade or from a fish market, if possible)
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 3 medium red potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 medium white turnips (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 large bay leaves
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 3 pounds haddock or cod fillets (3/4 to 1-inch thick), rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 4 oz. pieces
• ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
• 2 packed cups fresh spinach
• Optional: Pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)

Directions

Fry the pancetta in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat until the fat renders and the chorizo browns and crisps, about 7 minutes. Remove pancetta with slotted spoon and set on paper towel-lined plate. Add the onion to the fat and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until the onions are well-coated and flour is lightly colored, about 1 minute. Slowly add the Albariño from Rías Baixas and 1/2 cup fish stock, stirring constantly until the liquid is thick, about 1 minute. Continue adding the stock 1/4 cup at a time, stirring all the time and scraping the pan bottom and edges to dissolve flour and loosen the browned bits. Stir in the cream, potatoes, turnips, thyme, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes and turnips are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add the fish pieces and bring back to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 7 minutes, stirring a few times to ensure even cooking. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand until the fish is just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, stir in the spinach (heat of stew will wilt the spinach), pancetta and parsley, and adjust the seasonings. Add a few shakes of pimentón for a smokier flavor. Serve immediately.

Yields: 6 to 8 servings

By Stephanie Gutierrez

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2018 at 9:00 am and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.