Quick & Easy: Fish and Bean Stew

I’m never happier than when I’m just making up a dish as I go along having either had some inspiration from one of my many cookbooks, or from my experience of eating in many places and many lands over the past four decades - or from simply looking in my fridge and larder and seeing what I’ve got…

This meal falls absolutely into the latter category. I needed a quick and easy supper and one that was healthy too (trying to shift that weight around my waist again!). I adore pulses and always have a large collection of tins in my larder (apologies, but I can’t be bothered with soaking dried versions of them). I had white skinless fish fillets in the freezer which needed eating (2 x cod, 2 x hake) so thought, ‘I know! Let’s make a fish and bean stew.’ 

Very easy, turned out pretty tasty and got the thumbs up from the husband and daughter, so I’ve decided to share it with you - and as with all my homespun recipes, you can adjust the ingredients to what you have in your own cupboards, but the basic idea is there:-

[Serves 4]

Ingredients

4 x white fish, skinless and boneless fillets, cut or torn into large chunks

1 x can of butter beans

1 x can of flageolet beans

1 x tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of sweetcorn

1 leek, washed, prepared and sliced

1 large white onion, peeled and chopped

4 or 5 large cloves of garlic peeled and crushed 

Olive oil

Unsalted butter (optional)

Small glass of white wine

1 vegetable stock cube or 1 tablespoon of bouillon powder dissolved in about 200ml of water (or fresh stock if you have it, chicken stock is fine if you don’t have vegetable)

Parsley, chopped/torn

Dried mixed herbs (optional)

Salt and ground black pepper

Method

Pour a decent slug of olive oil into the bottom of a heavy based pan and then add the chopped onion together with some salt, black pepper and a teaspoon of sugar (to offset the acidity of the tomatoes and help the onions to caramelise a little). If you’re feeling naughty, you can add a knob of butter to add an extra depth of flavour and gloss to the dish. 

Once the onions have softened and become translucent, add the crushed garlic and the leek. Continue to cook on a gently heat, stirring the ingredients together, until the leeks have softened. At this point you can add the white wine and stock. Let it reduce a bit, check the seasonings and adjust as necessary. Then you can add the chopped tinned tomatoes, the sweetcorn and the tinned beans (add a bit of the juice from the bean tins to keep the whole dish moist).

Depending on how it’s tasting, you can fiddle with seasonings according to your own palate. You could try some dried herbs which are good with fish such as dill or tarragon or chives. Marjoram, oregano or thyme could work well too. And if you had any fresh dill or chives, then those would be great additions too. The more the merrier! 

Once you are happy with the flavours you can add the fish. Try to keep the chunks large so that they don’t break down too much when cooking - but if they do, it’s not the end of the world! Lay the fish chunks on the top, slightly immersed in the bean mix, and pop the pan in the middle of a moderate oven (say about 160-180 degrees C) for a few minutes or until the fish is cooked. It doesn’t take long. 

Before serving up, gently stir the fish into the bean mix if it’s not already and roughly chopped parsley and once on the plate, drizzle some good quality extra virgin olive oil over it to add a luscious shine and another flavour layer.

And that’s it! Simple one-pot cooking…what’s not to love?