This Spanish Fish Stew with Chickpeas is a great mediterranean fish stew recipe. It's all cooked in one pot and ready in just 20 minutes. The fish cooks in a lovely tomato sauce, flavoured with sweet smoked paprika which gives it a real depth of flavour. A few splashes of balsamic vinegar add a little sweetness. Chickpeas go very well in fish stew recipes such as this as they help to soak up the liquid and take on some of the flavour. A nice sprinkling of fresh parsley really helps set this dish off nicely.
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Recipe Tips & Variations
- You can use a variety of boneless white fish in this Spanish Fish Stew. For example, cod, coley, pollock, hake, haddock or halibut all go well. These are thicker or 'meatier' white fish. Flatter white fish such as sole or plaice will not hold together very well. You need to skin the fish and remove any bones before adding it. Fish cooks very quickly when diced. To check if your fish is cooked just remove a chunk from the pan. It should flake easily.
- The paprika in this recipe is what really brings alive the Spanish flavour. There is a difference between smoked paprika and sweet smoked paprika. I like to use the sweet smoked paprika as I find the sweetness goes very well with the tomato sauce.
- Chickpeas are a great ingredient to add to stews as they soak up some of the flavour. Always drain and rinse them first before adding to the pan. This recipe uses cooked, ready to use chickpeas which are usually tinned or canned. Dried chickpeas need a much longer cooking time.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this stew with couscous as it makes a nice change from rice and couscous and chickpeas go very well together. You can enjoy it with rice if you prefer. You could even serve it with some nice crusty bread, perfect for mopping up every last bit of the tomato sauce.
Sustainability
When shopping for fish, look for the Marine Stewardship Council logo. This logo means the fish has been sourced responsibly. The Marine Stewardship Council constantly monitors fish stocks in an effort to help preserve them for future generations. It also means the fish has been caught without damage to other marine life. Cod is a very popular fish and some cod stocks are in danger. The good fish guide will have the latest information on the sustainability of different stocks. The blue logo will help you make the best choice when shopping for any fish. #choosethebluefish. You can substitute other meaty white fish such as Coley or Pollack in this Spanish Fish Stew. These other fish are often cheaper and choosing a wider variety of fish types helps with sustainability.
A Fairtrade Stew
It's so easy to incorporate Fairtrade ingredients into such a wide variety of dishes these days. All my recipes highlight where products are available to buy as Fairtrade. In this Spanish Fish Stew recipe, the olive oil, sweet smoked paprika, chickpeas and blackpepper are all available as Fairtrade. The couscous and lemons are too so you can also enjoy a great Fairtrade side dish. Choosing Fairtrade products is such an important part of a sustainable diet. The Fairtrade organisation works with some of the world's poorest farmers. It not only ensures they receive a fair price for their products, but helps promote sustainable farming practices. Check out my most popular Fairtrade recipes.
Other Fairtrade Recipes to enjoy
How to make it
- Put the couscous in a heat proof bowl, add the lemon zest and juice together with the stock. Cover the bowl with a tight fitting lid or upturned plate and leave it for 5 minutes. Uncover the bowl and fluff the couscous up with a fork.
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until it softens. Add the garlic, and paprika and fry for 1-2 minutes then add the balsamic vinegar. Frying the paprika helps to release the flavours.
- Pour in the tomatoes and drained chickpeas, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir together well.
- Add the skinned and boned fish to the pan and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Check your fish is cooked by removing a piece from the pan. If it flakes easily, it is cooked.
- Serve with the rice or couscous and garnish with fresh parsley leaves.
Storing
You can store this fish stew in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. You can also freeze it for 6 - 8 months. If you are making a batch, the best way to freeze it is to make the sauce, cool it, then stir in the uncooked fish and freeze. The fish will cook as you reheat and it will only take 3 - 4 minutes. Defrost it overnight in the fridge then re-heat in the pan until the fish is cooked through. You can freeze the fish stew with cooked fish but eat up within one month as the texture of the cooked fish can change when it is frozen.
Couscous is best eaten fresh, but you can freeze it for 3 - 4 months. Lay the couscous out on a tray and freeze flat for a few hours. When it is frozen, break up the grains and tip into an airtight container. To defrost couscous, put it in a dish in the microwave and add a few spoons of water. Alternatively, heat some oil and a couple of tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Add the couscous and heat it until it has absorbed the water. Fluff up the grains with a fork.
More Fish Recipes to try
📖 Recipe
Spanish Fish Stew with Chickpeas
Ingredients
Couscous
- 250 g couscous organic, fairtrade
- 2 lemons organic, fairtrade, juice and zest of
- 450 ml vegetable stock organic
Spanish Fish and Chickpea Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil organic, fairtrade
- 2 onions organic, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves organic, peeled and crushed
- 4 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika organic, fairtrade
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar organic
- 800 g tinned tomatoes organic
- 400 g tinned chickpeas organic, fairtrade, drained and rinsed
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash black pepper fairtrade, freshly ground
- 4 white fish fillets about 150g each, boned, skinned cut bite sized chunks
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley organic, chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until it softens. Add the garlic, and paprika and fry for 1-2 minutes then add the balsamic vinegar.
- Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir together well.
- Add the fish to the pan and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
- Serve with the rice or couscous etc and garnish with the parsley leaves.
Notes
Recipe Tips
Use whatever white fish you like in this recipe. Cod, coley, pollock, hake and haddock all go well. Flatter white fish such as sole or plaice will not hold together very well. Fish cooks very quickly when diced. To check if your fish is cooked just remove one chunk, it should flake easily. There is a difference between smoked paprika and sweet smoked paprika. I like to use the sweet smoked paprika as I find the sweetness goes very well with the tomato sauce. Always drain and rinse the chickpeas before adding them to the pan. This recipe uses cooked, ready to use chickpeas which are usually tinned or canned. Dried chickpeas have a much longer cooking time.Serving Suggestions
Serve with couscous or rice or crusty bread.Storage
Store in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. Freeze for 6 - 8 months. If you are making a batch, the best way to freeze a fish stew is to make the sauce, cool it, then stir in the uncooked fish and freeze. The fish will cook as you reheat and it will only take 3 - 4 minutes. Defrost it overnight in the fridge then re-heat in the pan until the fish is cooked through. You can freeze the fish stew with cooked fish but eat up within one month as the texture of the cooked fish can change when it is frozen.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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