Marmitako Basque Fish Stew Recipes

Steps:

• Start by peeling the potatoes and slicing them roughly. Then peel and thinly slice both the onion and the garlic. Pour the oil into a saucepan and let it warm on the hob until it starts to smoke. Then add the potatoes, the onion and the garlic and let these cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionaly.
• Next add the bay leaves, the cayenne pepper, and finally a tsp of sweet paprika. Be careful at this point, you need to get the paprika coated in the oil without burning it - to do this successfully stir non-stop for between 20 to 30 seconds then immediately add the water, until the potato mixture is covered. Remove the cayenne pepper, and let the stew boil for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes and the fish. To easily peel the tomatoes, scald them (cover for half a minute with boiling water) and then remove the skin. Chop the tomatoes roughly and purée them using a fork. Next, cut the fish into small cubes, carefully removing any remaining bones.
• When the 20 minutes are up (this time really depends on the type of potatoes) add the tomato purée and leave the dish simmering on the hob for a further 7 minutes. Then add the tuna, and cook it for just 5 to 7 minutes more - you really have to be careful not to overcook the fish or it won't be tender. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve in bowls.

Steps:

• If using dried peppers, remove the stem and seeds and soak in warm water for 1 hour, or until softened. Drain well, scrape off the flesh and discard skins. If using roasted peppers, remove the charred skin, stems and seeds, and chop. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large casserole. Add the onions and bell peppers and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute to release the aromas. Cover the casserole tightly, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 15 minutes.
• Uncover the casserole and stir in the paprika and parsley. Increase the heat, add the brandy and flame it. When the flame dies down, stir in the potatoes, carrots, and leeks, and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saute 2 more minutes. Pour in the stock and wine, and add the chile pepper, and reserved dried pepper flesh. Season with salt and pepper, increase the heat and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Discard the chile pepper halves. Add the tuna to the soup, adjust the seasonings and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Cover casserole and let sit 5 minutes.
• To serve, ladle warm soup into individual bowls, and float a piece of toasted bread on the top.

Steps:

• Cook finelly chopped onion, green peppers and garlic until onion is translucent. Then add potatoes (the traditional way is as follows: You roughly start cutting a piece of potato but the last part you don't cut it, you tear the potato, this is said to release more of the potato starch and make it a thicker more rustic stew, so all the potato pieces should be irregular).
• Keep cooking for a couple of minutes. After that add the choricero peppers flesh (also called ñoras). These are dried peppers, you have to boil water, pour it over them and let them soak for a few minutes until the flesh reconstitutes and you can scrape it with the back of a knife or spoon. Also add the pealed tomato chopped.
• Then if you want you can add a little bit of white wine, and then add water just to cover everything, cook it until potatoes are fork tender.
• After that you cube the bonito, salt and pepper it and add it to the stew along with the parsley. Cover it with the lid and remove from heat, let it set for 5 minutes, adjust salt as needed and serve. Enjoy!