Argentinian - Chupin de Pescado (whitefish stew)

 

Sometimes, you just know a recipe is going to be a keeper!  I found this one in the Food & Wine magazine (Link here) that had been kicking around since July 2023 at our cabin. It sounded like a wonderful Cioppino or Bouillabaisse... but was easier with only one kind of fish

Luckily we had brought some frozen mahi mahi and I had almost everything else, except for roasted red peppers and clam nectar. While fish broth or clam nectar are definitely more authentic, I'm not convinced that chicken stock wouldn't be as good as a substitute.

I did my sauce ahead of time, and then reheated it when we returned from a day of fun.  I nestled the pre-cooked potatoes and the fish into the sauce and reheated it on medium low.  Be sure to cover the pan if you do it that way.  If you heat the sauce, then ad the potatoes and the fish, cover it, and cook it for about 10-15 minutes.  I cut each mahi mahi filet into 4 'fingers' so it would cook faster.  

All in all, this was a quick and very satisfying meal.  It's not necessarily South American in flavors, more like Italian, in my humble opinion.  I pasted in the original recipe and instructions, only adding a 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes. I also used just two 8oz filets of fish, but I had lots of delicious sauce left over. I used the leftovers with sauteed zucchini and it was a wonderful side dish.

Ingredients, Serves 4

Potato Rounds 

• 3 small (4-ounce) Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
•  4 cups water
•  1/4 cup kosher salt

 Pomarola

•  1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes
•  1/4 cup olive oill, plus more for drizzling
•  1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
•  3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
•  2 fresh or dried bay leaves
•  1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
•  1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for garnish
•  Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• Granulated sugar, to taste

 Chupín

•  1 (1 1/2-pound) skinless grouper fillet (1 1/2 inches thick), halved crosswise
•  1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
•  1 1/2 cups fish broth or clam nectar
•  1/2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
•  1/2 cup pitted and quartered black olives
•  1/2 cup drained jarred roasted red bell pepper strips
•  2 tablespoons drained capers
•  Finely chopped fresh parsley

Make the potato rounds

1. Bring potatoes, 4 cups water, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over high. Reduce heat to medium-high, and cook potatoes, undisturbed, until just tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from heat, and let potatoes cool in water 30 minutes; drain. Peel potatoes, and slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Set aside.

Meanwhile, make the pomarola

1. Puree tomatoes in a food processor until smooth, about 10 seconds; set aside. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, garlic, and salt; cook, stirring often, until onion is mostly translucent, about 4 minutes. Add bay leaves, paprika, and black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in pureed plum tomatoes, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and is slightly chunky, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with sugar to taste.

Make the chupín

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Season grouper with salt, and let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir fish broth, chickpeas, olives, bell pepper strips, and capers into pomarola. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-high, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour into a 12-inch nonreactive ovenproof skillet. Nestle grouper in sauce. Bake in preheated oven 9 minutes. Remove from oven; gently flip grouper using a spatula, and add potato rounds. Return to oven, and bake until fish is opaque and easily flakes with a fork and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of grouper registers 135°F, 9 to 12 minutes. Drizzle with additional olive oil. Garnish with black pepper and parsley. Serve immediately.