Fisherman’s Prize
This meal from the Pacific Northwest is truly a blue ribbon winner! Serve with a side of boiled red potatoes, some green beans, and warm whole grain bread, and enjoy this hearty prize of a meal.
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Cost: $$$
Ingredients
- 3 quarts water
- 18 large uncooked whole shrimp * shelled and deveined,
- save the heads and shells
- 1 quart clam juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 leeks diced small
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 large carrots diced small
- 8 large cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red chili pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh-ground black pepper
- 1 28 28 ounce can whole tomatoes drained and chopped
- 2 pounds red snapper or cod fillets cut into six pieces
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 18 mussels well scrubbed
- 18 butter clams well scrubbed
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, bring the water, shrimp heads and shells to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
- Strain and discard heads and shells.
- Return strained stock to pan and add enough clam juice to make 3 quarts of liquid; cover and simmer.
- In a large sauce pan, heat 1⁄4 cup of the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the leeks, celery and carrots.
- Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the garlic, thyme, salt, red and black peppers.
- Continue to sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and the shrimp/clam stock.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat.
- Generously dust the cod with the flour.
- Fry in the hot oil until golden brown and quite firm, about 2 minutes per side; drain well and keep warm.
- Place the individual cooked cod pieces into large soup bowls.
- Bring the stock mixture to a rapid boil.
- Add the shrimp, mussels, and clams.
- Cook 7 minutes, or until all the clams and mussels have opened (those that haven’t after 8 minutes, discard).
- Ladle portions over the fried cod.
- Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.
Notes
*If whole shrimp can’t be found in your area, use uncooked shrimp tails, which are readily available almost everywhere. You’ll have to substitute 4 cups of canned fish stock for 1 quart of the water in the very beginning. Clean, devein, and save the shells from the tails and continue as directed.