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Mediterranean Fish Stew with Chickpeas and Garlic Croutons

This is a delightful, easy and simple fish stew packed with goodness – chickpeas, fresh fish and lots of tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main
Servings 4
Calories 420 kcal
Dairy Free, Diabetic

Ingredients
  

Fish and chickpea stew

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 brown onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 stalk celery finely diced
  • 1 red capsicum cut into 2cm chunks
  • 2 rosemary sprigs
  • 400 g crushed or cherry tomatoes one can
  • 1 ½ cups fish or chicken stock
  • 400 g chickpeas one can, rinsed and drained
  • 1 pinch dried chilli flakes optional
  • 500 g firm-flesh white fish boneless and skinless e.g. trevally, monk fish etc (I used Hapuku), cut into large 3cm chunks
  • ½ lemon juiced
  • good quality extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle
  • flat-leaf parsley chopped to garnish

Garlic croutons

  • 3-4 slices sourdough or ciabatta bread cut or torn into 1 inch chunks
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180 degC/355 Fahrenheit.
  • Heat olive oil in a medium-size pot or large fry-pan on medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, celery and capsicum until soft (about 6-7 minutes).
  • Add rosemary sprigs, tomatoes, stock, chickpeas and chilli flakes if using. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes to allow stew to thicken slightly.
  • While the stew is cooking, make the garlic croutons. Toss bread chunks with olive oil and garlic and bake in oven until golden and crispy (about 8-10 minutes).
  • Add fish and lemon juice to stew, cover and continue cooking a further 3-5 minutes until fish is just cooked through. Turn off heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove rosemary sprigs.
  • Divide stew between shallow bowls, garnish with parsley and a good drizzle of boutique extra virgin olive oil. Top with garlic croutons. Serve immediately.

Notes

This fish stew would make a perfect main course for a casual, relaxed dinner party. To be organised in the kitchen, you can make the soup ahead of time up until the end of step 2. Keep it warm on the stove top, then when you want to serve just pop the prepared croutons in the oven and finish off the soup – too easy! The fish is the star of the dish, so make sure it’s as fresh as can be. A fish like Hapuka is perfect here as it won’t fall apart into the soup like a less-firm variety would.