It’s been a wet week here in Boston. We’ve had downpours almost every day. It’s been so wet this summer that I haven’t had to water my mint plants for months. In fact, I have to drain standing water from their pots every time I go back there to check on them. It’s sad. They’re not happy campers, although I have been able to put together a few batches of mint iced tea and pesto with them. They’ve remained small and leggy this year, not surprisingly.
Yesterday was surprisingly dry and sunny so I decided to up the water factor by putting together one of my favorite summer fish stew recipes. It’s been cooling down lately so soups and stews are back on the menu. I also had some very fresh farm share and farmers market produce like potatoes, green beans and tomatoes. They really make the difference here. This is a simple stew so the ingredients have to step up to the plate and contribute their flavors.
I got this recipe long, long ago from the Boston Globe’s food section. These days I’m very disappointed in the Globe’s offerings but back then their recipes were plentiful and superb. As I mentioned, the ingredients are simple: onions, garlic, potatoes, clam broth, oregano, green beans, tomatoes and fish. That fish does not have to be expensive or fancy. I make do with plain old chowder fish – odds and ends left over after the fish is cut into fillets. I like the fact that each packet of this leftover fish contains different varieties. I’ll often add tiny amounts of shell fish like shrimp or scallops if I want even more diversity. It never hurts.
And how to make it? Saute an onion for five minutes, then add the tomatoes and garlic. Dump in the potatoes, water and clam broth and cook for 15 minutes (I check the potatoes after 10 minutes). Dump in the green beans and cook another 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are just firm. Then add fish, wait five minutes and eat. It couldn’t be simpler, or more delicious. This recipe lends itself well to additional ingredients. In this case I had some corn and some parsley, both of which went into the soup along with the fish. The sweetness of the corn added its flavor to the broth, so much so that I think I’ll be adding this ingredient from here on it – just as long as it’s off the cob and not from the freezer.
Oh my, yes!I’m sure you’ll never find this recipe at the Globe, so I’m enclosing it for you here. Make it, before summer’s produce goes away for another year.