Hearty Grilled Fish over White Bean Stew

Hearty Grilled Fish over White Bean Stew. Someday, just someday, Spring may come. This year, the Pennsylvania Groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil declared on February 2 that Spring would be arriving in 6 weeks. It’s been just over 7 weeks of chilly weather, and today it snowed. While watching the big snowflakes hurtling down outside of my window, I was wondering if I should post a “Spring” recipe or just go ahead and publish a few more for this extended “Winter.” My Hearty Grilled Fish over White Bean Stew was calling my name.

Winter won out, although you can certainly make this super versatile recipe year-round depending on what type of fish is available in your area. In the summer, I like to use local rockfish from Maryland. I haven’t tried this recipe with salmon although it might work well.

Basically, it’s a flavorful mixture of cannellini beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic and seafood stock which simmer into a hearty stew. Your choice of fish is grilled or sauteed in a separate pan. The stew is ladled into a bowl and the cooked fish is placed on top.

Feel free to use chopped fresh parsley, basil, sage, or thyme as your garnish. I like to serve garlic toast or slices of warm baguette on the side to sop up the stew’s luscious liquid.

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Hearty Grilled Fish over White Bean Stew

Ingredients:

2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with their juice
2 (14.5 oz) cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 c seafood stock/broth
1/2 c dry white wine
1 T fresh thyme, basil, sage or parsley, chopped plus a bit more for garnish
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 T olive oil
4 fillets of firm-fleshed fish that you prefer (halibut, rockfish, tuna, etc.)

Method:

1. Melt butter in a chef’s pan over medium-low heat.
2. Saute the onion in the butter until the onion is transluscent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute a minute or two.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, the cannellini beans, seafood stock, and wine to the onion/garlic mixture.
5. Cook over medium heat until mixture reduces a bit.
6. Stir in the herbs, and cook uncovered, for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. In a separate grill or saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
8. When the oil is hot, grill or saute the fish until almost translucent or cooked. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Ladle the white bean stew into shallow bowls and carefully place the fish on top of the stew.
10. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Serves 4 as a main course. Serve with garlic toast or warm baguette.

Variations: Use salmon or another type of firm-fleshed fish. Sear some scallops and add to the dish. Use chicken broth/stock if you can’t find seafood stock. If you want to use tilapia, a more delicate fish, saute it in a regular pan instead of using a grill pan or it might fall apart. If you like a bit of heat, add a few crushed red pepper flakes to the white bean stew while it is simmering. Omit the white wine if you are abstaining from alcohol.

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