Something fishy for Lent

Not eating meat during Lent is a millennium old tradition-- one that led to the discovery of America. Hint: Catholic countries were in a desperate search for lots of fish, the kind thick enough to preserve for the voyage back, and found them in the Gulf of Maine. Since Lent is upon some of us, here are simple fish recipes from my files that will glide you through.

Crete Fisherman's stew

This is  a simple as a good meal gets and glamorous to boot. It's actually the way fishermen made their meals right after the catch. You can use this recipe for Lent and save it for summer too.

Serves 4

2 1/4 lbs medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1 turbot (around 4 lbs), scaled, gutted and cut into 5 pieces,
1 1/2 c tomatoes, chopped (boxed or canned okay)
2 celery stalks
4 bay leaves
Salt
1 2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
3 c water
Juice of 2 lemons
Parsley leaves
4 langoustines or prawns  or a lobster in pieces
 

Use a lidded saucepan that will fit the potatoes snugly in a single layer at the bottom of the pan. After adding the potatoes, add the fish, followed by the tomatoes, celery, bay leaves, salt, olive oil and water. The liquid will only partly cover the fish. 

Put the saucepan over a high heat and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and continue to boil another 20 minutes. Shake the pan every so often, but never stir the contents. Before you turn the soup off, make sure the potatoes are soft. Add the lemon juice and parsley leaves, then give the pan a final shake. Turn off the heat, add the langoustines or prawns and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.
 

To serve, use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the fish to shallow bowls. Divide the soup and potatoes into bowls. Add a langoustine or prawn to each  Serve with toasted baguette or warm pita.

Fish fillets in Tomato Raisin Sauce

This Greek recipe is one of the longest running in my repertoire because it's easy, tasty and eye catching. Just add a side of garlic braised spinach and cucumber salad for a colorful table--and a very     nutritious meal.   
serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil 
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lg onion,  diced
Freshly ground black pepper to your taste  
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 lbs  or 24 oz cooked whole tomatoes in juice 
4 cloves, whole
pinch of ground cinnamon
1/2 c dark raisins 
1/4 c dry white wine 
2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, minced     
1 1/2 lbs haddock, cod, hake, monkfish or other white fish fillets
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt to your taste 
Garnish: 1-2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped    

Heat oven to 350º.
In a small heavy gauge pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic , black pepper and oregano.  Sauté 4-5 minutes until onion is soft.  Reduce heat to low and add the tomatoes with their juice, the cloves, cinnamon, raisins, wine and 2 tbsp parsley.  Stir to blend and heat 5 minutes.

Wash the fish fillets, drain well and sprinkle the the lemon juice and salt. Lightly oil the bottom of a baking dish large enough for one layer only and arrange the fish on it. Pour the sauce over the fillets. Bake at 350º 30 -35 minutes or until the fish is flaky and cooked through. Garnish with chopped parsley to serve.                  


Salmon with leeks

Quick, tasty and colorful. Leeks are readily available now as many farmer s winter them over to harvest in earliest Spring.  
serves 4 

2 1” thick leeks, split and washed                    

1 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon

3 garlic cloves, minced                            

1 tbsp dry white wine                              

1/3 c veg, vegetable or fish broth         

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1½ lbs boneless chunks of fresh salmon

1 tbsp olive oil                                         

¼ tsp dried thyme leaves

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Garnish: chopped dill and chives

To clean leeks: remove green tops, tough outer leaves and roots. Cut into 2” lengths, split and cut each piece into thin strips.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté leeks over medium-low heat, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 min. Add wine, broth, thyme and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Cover, lower heat and simmer 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Skin salmon and rub with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Lightly season with salt. Stir tarragon, salt and pepper into leeks. Put salmon chunks on top of the leeks, cover and simmer 4-5 mins, until salmon is cooked. Plate the leeks, arrange salmon chunks on top and drizzle with pan juices. 

Garnish with freshly chopped chives. Serve with roasted potatoes.

Palestinian shrimp with pine nuts
This is a traditional, treasured recipe from women who lived by the Mediterranean Sea. It's fragrant and colorful. You can serve it with their local grains like maftoul, bulghur, freekah or farro. Or just flatbread for soaking up the sauce.

serves 6
1 kg (2 1/3 lbs) fresh shrimp, peeled
3 sm red onions, diced (about 1 1/2 c)
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
salt
1/4 c pine nuts, silvered almonds or raw cashews
2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
2 Serrano chili peppers
1 26 oz can diced tomatoes (or 6 fresh tomatoes skinned and diced)
6 garlic cloves
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
1 c water
2 tbsp sesame seed

Preheat oven to 325º.
Put the peeled shrimp in a dry sauté pan or wok on med/low heat 3 minutes until the liquid they release evaporates and they are pink. Remove from pan and hold.
Coarsely shop the chili peppers and crush with 1/2 tsp salt into a chunky paste. Chop dill and garlic together as finely as you can.
 

In the pan shrimp were cooked in, add olive oil and heat over med. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent, 5-8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and blend. Add diced tomatoes, spices, crushed salted chilies, water and the dill/garlic mix. Blend well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Simmer 10 min.
   

While that's happening, toast the nuts and sesame seeds or fry them in 1 tbsp olive oil: either way.
Stir the shrimp into the sauce. Pour the contents of the pan into an earthenware or other oven casserole dish. Cover with the toasted nuts, sesame and chopped parsley. Cover the top with foil or a lid. Bake 10 minutes. Remove foil/lid and bake 2-3 minutes until the top is crusty. Serve with grains or flatbread and green salad.

        
Spanish salt cod and chickpea stew

This is actually a traditional Lenten dish on the Iberian peninsula. Using ground almonds instead of the 1 tbsp flour makes it  gluten-free.       

Serves 6

2 cups dried chickpeas

pinch of baking soda

8 oz. salt cod

½ head garlic, broken into cloves, unpeeled

1 bay leaf

2 small onions

½ to ¾ lb. spinach

6 tbsp olive oil

8 oz. canned diced tomato or 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 tbsp flour or very finely ground almonds (almond meal)

1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika

1 sprig fresh parsley

Salt

Put chickpeas in a bowl and cover with water by 1 inch and add a pinch of baking soda and a pinch of salt. Let soak overnight or at least 12 hours.

Put the bacalao (salt cod) in water to cover and let soak at least 12 hours changing the water at least 3 times.

Drain the chickpeas and rinse.

Reserve 1 of the garlic cloves and put the rest in a large pot along with the chickpeas, cover with water by 2 inches. Peel and quarter one of the small onions and add it to the pot along with the bay leaf. Heat to a boil and turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 2½ hours adding more water if needed.

Drain and rinse the salt cod. Chop it into 1" cubes and add to the pot. Cook 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the remaining onion and over low heat sauté in the olive oil  10 minutes until light golden brown. Add the tomato and cook 10 minutes, mashing the tomato to break it up. Stir in the flour and cook two or three minutes. Add the paprika and remove from heat.

When the mixture has cooled a bit, process it in a blender or food processor or with an immersion stick until it's pureed.

Stir this mixture into the chickpeas. Season to taste with salt.

Pound parsley and remaining peeled clove of garlic in a mortar or process in a food processor. Mix in 1 tablespoon of liquid from the pot and then add mixture to the chickpeas. Add the spinach and cook 15 minutes more.