Easy Fish Stew Recipe {with tomato and fennel}

Name: Easy Fish Stew Recipe {with tomato and fennel}
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.5 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion (-diced); 3 cloves garlic (-minced); 1 bulb fennel (-core remove and thinly sliced (reserve fronds for garnish) (small-ish bulb of fennel)); 2 stalks celery (-sliced on the thinner side, about 1/4 inch slices); 1 tsp dried thyme (-or 1 tbsp fresh); 1/2 - 1 tsp chili flakes (-or to taste (plus more for garnish, if you wish)); 1/4 tsp salt (-optional); 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 cup water (-or white wine); 398 ml can tomatoes (-I used 'whole' tomatoes in sauce and broke up with my hands before adding to stew.); 4 cups fish stock/broth; 1/2 lb baby potatoes (-cut into bite-sized chunks (roughly an overflowing cup)); 1 lb cod (-cut into bite-sized pieces or other similar white fish); lemon oil (-garnish/finisher (optional, but highly recommended))

May 19, 2019 Updated: May 19, 2019 By Dawn Coombs 33 Comments

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With a rich tomato and seafood stock based broth, flavourful fennel, tender cod and a little hit of chili flakes, this easy fish stew recipe will hit the spot every time!

Hey guys! I’m super happy to be sharing this white fish stew recipe with you guys today. It’s simple, delicious and super satisfying. With a nice slice of grilled bread for dunkin’, it makes for one heck of a meal.

There’s a local restaurant that has some pretty awesome fish stew. As much as they’ve changed their menu with the seasons, the fish stew is a constant. I mean, why not? It’s so dang good. This is my version and I may be a little biased, but I think it’s better than the restaurant’s. After all, homemade is always better than anything out, don’t you agree?

Sometimes I make with cod and other times another white fish, but the base is always the same. Why mess with a good thing?

What’s the Best Fish for this Tomato Based Fish Stew?

For tomato based fish stews, I like to use white fish, usually cod. Not into cod or have something else on hand? Haddock or halibut would work great too!

Can I Use Frozen Cod Fillets Instead of Fresh?

Absolutely! That’s exactly what I used. I just thawed before using and the stew turned out perfectly.

How to Make Seafood Stew?

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook a little.
Stir in fennel (to see how to prepare it for this stew, check out how I prepare fennel here), celery, thyme, chili flakes, salt and pepper.
Mix in water and wine and cook a little until celery has softened somewhat.
Pour in canned tomatoes and fish stock and cook a little more.
Next goes baby potatoes and cook those until they are fork tender.
Last goes cod. Heat until cooked through.
Garnish and enjoy!

Tips for Making this Fish Stew Recipe

To make things easier, I used a quality store-bought seafood stock. If you want to make your own, go for it! My friend, Sarah, from Champagne Tastes has a lovely homemade seafood stock recipe.
Use a quality canned tomato. I opted for ‘whole’ and squished the tomatoes with my hands, breaking them up, before adding to the pot. I used a 398 ml can, but if you can only find a larger sized can, use a little more than 1.5 cups and save the rest for another use.
Speaking of fish stock and canned tomatoes, all brands vary in salt content. Taste before adding any additional salt.
Like a little more heat? Add more chili flakes. Enjoy a little less? Reduce or omit.
I enjoy my celery to have a tiny bit of bite, but if you don’t cook a little longer before adding the cod.
I used baby potatoes in this recipe and cut into bite-sized pieces. Depending on how big each potato is, you’re gonna want to cut in half or thirds. Don’t have baby potatoes on hand? Just use 1-2 regular sized potatoes, like yellow or red, and cut into bite-sized chunks (you want about 1/2 lb or one spilling over cupful). I didn’t peel my potatoes, just washed, but you can peel if you prefer.
Like mentioned above, you can use haddock or halibut instead of cod if you prefer. Because halibut it a little bit denser, it may take a tad longer to cook.
A few sprinkles of lemon olive oil as a finisher is totally optional, but highly recommended. It really adds something special and is so so good! Don’t have lemon olive oil? Try a little sprinkle of freshly grated lemon zest.
When portioning the stew, be careful not to mush the cod pieces. It’s quite tender and delicate.

How Long Does Fish Stew Last? Can I Freeze Fish Stew?

Properly stored in the fridge, this cod fish stew will last up to 3 days. After that, toss.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing this stew. It’s best to make and enjoy right away.

Like this Easy Fish Stew Recipe? You May Enjoy These Seafood Recipes Too!

Hope you love this easy fish stew recipe as much as we do!

Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon,

~Dawn

P.S. If you think this cod fish stew recipe will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that little Pin button. Many thanks, you guys! XO

An overhead shot of a bowl of cod fish stew garnished with fennel fronds.

5 from 1 vote