Fish stew (caldeirada)

“While in Reykjavik, I was lucky enough to check out the kitchen at The Sea Baron restaurant, which is famous for its legendary lobster soup. Inspired by the mix of ocean-fresh fish stock and rich spice, I decided to give an Icelandic twist to a dish I know and love, caldeirada, a Portuguese seafood stew. While I used cod for my stew, you could use any firm white-fleshed fish you like.” Ainsley Harriott, Ainsley Harriott’s Street Food

Credit: Ainsley Harriott's Street Food

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 800 g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into thick slices
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 red capsicum (pepper), membrane removed, thinly sliced
• 3 tsp smoked sweet paprika
• 1 pinch of saffron threads
• 3 tsp red wine vinegar
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 400 g mussels, cleaned
• 4 x 100 g pieces skinless cod
• 12 prawns, peeled and deveined

Instructions

Place the potato in a saucepan. Pour over enough boiling water to cover well, then bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add a pinch of salt and simmer for 10 minutes or until potato is tender but not falling apart. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and capsicum and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the paprika, saffron, vinegar, wine and 2 tbsp water. Bring to the boil, then add the mussels. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or just until the mussels open. Remove the mussels from the pan, discarding any that haven’t opened. Reduce the heat to low.  

Add the cod and prawns to the pan. Cover and cook, turning the fish halfway through cooking, for 5-6 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. During the last minute of cooking, return the mussels to the pan and season to taste. Divide the warm potatoes between shallow bowls, spoon the seafood stew over the top and serve immediately.

Ainsley Harriott’s Street Food starts Thursday 6 August 2015 at 8.30pm on SBS and finishes 1 October 2015. Visit the Ainsley Harriott’s Street Food program page to catch-up on episodes online, scroll through recipes and read our interview with Ainsley.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.