Fresh or frozen, fish is a healthy option

Fried, grilled or broiled, fresh fish is delicious for both weeknight and more elegant weekend meals. It’s also a healthy option that provides between 50 and 60 per cent of an adult’s daily protein needs in one 150 gram serving. All seafood is, generally, low in fat, low in cholesterol and provides high levels of omega 3 oils, which can aid in heart, brain, joint and digestive health.

If you haven’t been drawn to fish in the past, then perhaps all of these great nutritional benefits have enticed you? If so, we recommend visiting Weston Produce for a wide selection of fresh and frozen fish and seafood available daily.

Our friendly, knowledgeable staff is always happy to provide helpful suggestions to prepare fish, and we recommend asking them because we have a few great cooks amongst us. But if you’re a little shy, then keep checking our blog for lots of great recipes that can be made entirely from items purchased at Weston Produce.

If you’re looking for a tasty and different way to prepare a larger fish meal, you may be interested in this anise-flavoured fish stew. A traditional French dish, it combines the rich flavours of seafood with fresh herbs and produce in a hearty meal that fish lovers will enjoy.

Seafood stew

Ingredients:

2 pounds monkfish, bass or halibut
2 pounds haddock, flounder, red mullet, snapper or white ruffie
2 pounds fish heads and bones, rinsed (roughly 1 large fish carcass)
4 quarts water
½ cup olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 large leeks, trimmed, cleaned and sliced
1 fennel bulb, peeled, trimmed and chopped with green fronds reserved
6 tomatoes, seeded, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bouquet of your choice of herbs tied together or in a small sachet
1 ½ tsp fennel seeds
2 large slices orange peel, pith removed, preferably dried
½ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
salt and pepper to season
A splash of white wine

Directions:

Chop the fish into large, bite-sized pieces and refrigerate, keeping the two types separate from each other. Put the rinsed fish heads and bones in a large soup pot, pour the water over, bring to a boil, and simmer for twenty minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid.

Heat the oil in the same pot and fry the onions, leeks, and fennel until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, bouquet of herbs, fennel seed, orange peel, and saffron and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the fish stock, and simmer for half an hour. Remove the bouquet of herbs and the orange peel.

Bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Add the monkfish, bass or halibut and cook five minutes. Add the haddock, flounder, red mullet, snapper or white ruffie and the splash of wine and continue cooking until all the fish is tender, five minutes longer.

Ladle into warm soup plates and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Enjoy!