Caldeirada (Portuguese Fish Stew) is a dish consisting of a wide variety of fish, potatoes, and other ingredients and spices. A fishermen's stew, the dish seems to be primarily a compilation of what the fishermen had caught that day. We won't complain though as the delicious assortment of herbs and spices combine with the flavors of the fish, clams, and calamari seamlessly to create a sensation like none other for the tastebuds.
This flavor-filled dish will leave your mouth watering for more so much so that you may just have to grab that second or third serving! The bright colors are also a feast for the eyes and let us tell you, those aromatics will give you cravings long before the dish is served.
Ingredients
2 Tbls. Olive oil
2 Tbls. Salted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and diced
A small bunch of coriander (AKA cilantro)
Finely chop the stalks and keep the leaves for the end.
2 small Fresno chili peppers, seeded and finely chopped
(You can use other small red chilis depending on what is available and your heat preference)
3 cloves of garlic, 2 chopped and 1 halved for the toast
3/4 cup and 2 Tbls. cups of dry white wine
3/4 cup and 2 Tbls. of water
A pinch of saffron (Sold in our brick-and-mortar!)
1 bay leaf (or two if they are small)
1/2 tsp. Hungarian paprika
1 tsp fine black pepper
3/4 lb of potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 can of peeled tomatoes
1 filet of skinless firm white fish (use a mixture if you like), cut into large chunks
7 oz. of squid, cleaned and sliced
8 Shrimp without tail
1/2 lb of clams (we suggest smaller clams)
1/2 lb of mussels (We could not find any in town on the day we made this, so not shown in photo)
lemon, juice and zest
Celtic salt to taste
Bread, sliced
Butter
Garlic
Instructions:
In a pot or deep frying pan, add your oil and butter.
Once your oil and butter are at a good temperature, add your onion and bell pepper, cooking over medium heat until soft but not browned.
Add your coriander stalk, chili pepper, and chopped garlic. Saute these for a few minutes to allow them to become aromatic.
Add your paprika and black pepper and cook until aromatic.
Add the wine, saffron, and bay leaf, let this gently simmer, and reduce by half.
Once reduced, add your potatoes, tomatoes, and water then bring to a simmer.
Break the tomatoes up with a spoon on the side of the pan, and let that simmer for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Carefully add your fish, calamari, mussels, and shrimp.
If you are using small clams you can add these as well, however, if you are using large clams we suggest cooking them separately as the broth will likely not cover the shells completely.
Put a lid on your pot and let cook for 6-8 minutes until the mussels and clams have opened completely, the shrimp and calamari are cooked and the fish is flaky.
At this point, you can start toasting your bread with butter and garlic.
Once the timer has gone off you can add a squeeze of half a lemon, your lemon zest, and a few coriander leaves.
Add salt to taste.
Dish up your plate and garnish with coriander leaves.
Enjoy!
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