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.

Course lunch, Main Course, special occasion

Cuisine American, Canadian, firehouse, French

Keyword autumn, buttery, firehouse, hot, stew

Author Firehouse Cooking

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.