Four friends’ fish stew

Big flavour, low effort: roast-then-simmer to build deep umami in under an hour.

This recipe is part of Autumn Warmers: slow, gentle, restorative cooking for colder days.

By far one of my favourite homeland recipes, this fish stew is something I always go back to when I feel homesick. The best part of cooking it? Prep once. Nourish many.

Why it works: Roast-then-simmer builds smoky-sweet depth without aggressive charring; a short final poach keeps fish juicy and proteins tender for easier digestion.

Fish stew with tomatoes, peppers, garlic

Serves: 4 Prep: 10 min Cook: 40 - 45 min

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg mixed fish (carp & bream, or bream + trout + carp)

• 1 red onion;

• 3–4 peppers (romano + bell);

• 6 tomatoes

• 1 head garlic + 2 extra cloves; 1

• chilli

• Thyme (2 sprigs), rosemary (1–2 sprigs), parsley

• Ghee, salt, pepper

Method:

1. If you are using a mix of fish, keep one fish whole and slice the other into 3 cm chunks.

2. Wash the tomatoes, peppers, capsicum, chilli, and onion (previously peeled), and place them on a baking tray.

3. Cut the top part of the garlic head, season it with salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with a bit of olive oil. Then, cover it with baking paper and seal it in a small sachet.

4. Place your fish on the tray too and season with salt and pepper.

5. Roast for 20–25 min at 180 °C.

6. When everything’s done, remove it from the oven. Let the vegetables cool slightly, then peel the skin off the tomatoes and bell peppers. Next, dice the peppers and onion, and squeeze the garlic cloves out of the skin.

7. In a Dutch oven (or any other pot you have), add a spoonful of ghee, one sprig of rosemary, two sprigs of thyme, and two fresh garlic cloves.

8. After 2 minutes, add the tomatoes, diced onion, peppers, and baked garlic. Let everything simmer for about 15 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

9. Add fish; simmer very gently 8–10 min until just flaky.” (Prevents overcooking; aligns with “juicy/tender proteins.”)

10. Once everything is cooked, finely chop 5-10 sprigs of fresh parsley and sprinkle over the top. Serve with polenta.

Substitutions

• Fish: Cod, hake, or salmon chunks work; add mussels for brininess.

• Heat: Stir in sliced olives + a pinch of chilli flakes.

• Acid: Finish with lemon juice or a splash of white wine vinegar.

• Best when eaten fresh: Maximum next day.

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• The science behind the recipe:

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• More Autumn Warmers: Poussin soup and Dutch-oven pot rice

• Browse all recipes: Recipes collection

After all the data that I gathered, the tables, and the research papers, the conclusion is embarrassingly simple:

People are the protocol.

As always, thank you for reading Salt, Pepper, Stories. If you cook this, tag me or hit reply with your tweaks. If it helped, tap ♥ / restack so that more people find these bowls.

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xx, Ana