After a long absence due to a kitchen remodel, I am back to cooking, my blog, and green planet eating! The other morning was a cold and wet autumn day in Connecticut, and I wanted to have something warm and comforting for dinner that night. I decided upon fish stew, made with lots of local vegetables. I used garlic and onions from my aunt’s garden, a green pepper and big luscious red heirloom tomato that I bought at my town’s farmer’s market a few days prior, and a sweet potato that I bought at the grocery store but which could have been obtained locally, if I had tried harder. I took effort in choosing wild U.S.A. shrimp, which is more sustainable than farmed (also I have read horrifying accounts of what shrimp farming does to surrounding marine ecosystems in some places, and do not know how to ensure that farmed shrimp at the store has been raised in a healthy and environmentally conscientious way). I also selected cod, since it is sustainable if caught properly and is from my region of the country, therefore relatively local. The result was a delicious, wholesome stew that warmed me nicely. We had some leftovers which were good for lunch the next day!
4 TBS olive oil
juice of 2 limes
salt and pepper
1 lb. cod, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb. wild shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into pieces (I used large shrimp and cut each shrimp into 3 pieces—adjust depending upon how big the shrimp are)
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
dash of red chili pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tomato, chopped
1 sweet potato, diced
1 can coconut milk
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
4 green onions, chopped
handful of chopped cilantro (approximately ½ cup?)
1 diced avocado, optional
Combine 2 TBS olive oil and juice of one lime in bowl with cod. Sprinkle salt and pepper over fish and toss to coat with marinade. Let sit in marinade in refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the stew.
Heat 2 TBS olive oil in pot. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add green pepper, dash of red chili pepper flakes and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add 2 pressed garlic cloves; stir for about a minute. Add tomato and cook for a few minutes. Add sweet potato and coconut milk. Cover and simmer until sweet potato is tender, about 20 minutes. Add corn, fish (along with marinade) and shrimp and cook until fish and shrimp are cooked, about 5 minutes. Add green onions and cilantro. Sprinkle each serving bowl with a little fresh lime juice, and, if desired, with diced avocado.