Fish (Cod) Stew: Minus one

Last week our family was minus one.  Daughter #1 took off to the week-long, fifth grade, outdoor education experience, so our family of five for five days, became a family of four.  A 20 percent reduction in humans in our house, but the workload reduction exceeded 50%.  Somehow, the one child being gone reduced so much drama and work in the house that I was, dare I say it, kind of bored.

Suddenly Daughter #2, who is usually at odds and in a fierce battle with Son became this docile, sweet, older child figure, attentive and helpful to Son.  Son, who usually attacks Daughter #2 with his light sabers and bad karate chops along with verbal assaults and whines suddenly became awesome younger brother who was a fun playmate.  Add to that that I no longer had to manage and moderate Daughter #1's homework, early arrival to school, and clothing choices, time was suddenly on my side.  I breathed a little bit more, prayed a little bit more, and read more of Bible.  It was a peaceful time and a quiet time and a bit of rest.

Thursday night, after Daughter #1 had been gone for a while, suddenly made me realize that I missed some of the chaos.  That her presence, albeit sometimes infuriating and crazy-momma making, was sorely missed.  Everything seemed quieter, mellower, more subdued and my normally psychedelic life took on colors of restrained muted tones.

I wanted her back.  I wanted her back in one piece, back in the house, making the noise and making the chaos where it should fall.

When Friday rolled around, I knew I would make her this fish stew, which she declares, "One of my favorite meals ever!" I asked her, after we sat down to eat together, "Did you miss mommy's cooking?" to which she paused and said, "A little, but the food there was really good."  I guess I'm happy that she didn't starve being away from home.

The best thing about this stew is that it comes together so quickly in a single pot.  Use some crusty bread to make delicious toasts or plain oyster crackers also work just as well.  For a bit of heat, I like a sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes.  This recipe also easily doubles, and I've made it for my house church to rave reviews.

Fish (Cod) Stew
Serves 4

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon fennel seed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) whole or diced tomatoes, in juice
16 ounces clam juice
1 1/2 pounds skinless cod fillet, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Method
In a large pot, over medium heat, heat olive oil and add carrots, celery, and red onion. Add a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables are softened and slightly translucent, about 6 minutes.  Add fennel seeds. Add tomatoes, juice and all and cook until almost all tomato juice is evaporated, about 5 minutes.  If you use diced tomatoes, you won’t need to break the tomatoes up at all, but if you use whole tomatoes, break up tomatoes with the back of your spoon.

After tomato juice is cooked off, add clam juice and bring to a simmer.  Add cod pieces and cook until fish is opaque and cooked through.  Immediately remove from heat.

Serve with crunchy bread or oyster crackers.

Printable recipe

The perfect warm welcome home.

The clam juice I used.  Purchased at Whole Foods for a lot less.

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