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  • A Modern Rose: Italian Style Fish Stew

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A Modern Rose: Italian Style Fish Stew

Rose shows you where to get the best fish in Berlin to make a delicious stew.

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I was celebrating a friend’s birthday at a favourite Italian haunt of mine, Donath, the other night. One of the reasons I love this place is that their menu constantly changes and they usually have two or three fish recipes. I had the calamari, squid and salmon pasta on my latest visit which prompted a British friend of mine to say “I miss fish, you just can’t get fish easily in Berlin.”

That is where this fish stew recipe comes in. I like to call this my pick n mix stew because it is a great one to add whatever fish you can get your hands on. And the great news is that fish is not completely impossible to come by in Berlin! 

If you’re looking for serious fish, Mitte Meer is the place to go. They have an endless selection of white fish, calamari, squid, octopus, big juicy prawns… you name it! For me this is the key place to go for decent fish as it is reasonably priced and fresh. But don’t feel like you are limited to just Mitte Meer: a bit of fresh salmon from the Kaisers fish counter or some white fish from the Galeria Kaufhof will work well. Even throw in a few de-frosted prawns from Rewe’s frozen food section. Basically, whatever you like!

Make sure to serve some fresh crusty bread on the side to soak up the delicious tomato sauce!

For this stew I used salmon, cod and 2 different types of prawns.

Ingredients: serves 4

2 or 3 small shallots (peeled and finely diced)

3 cloves garlic (crushed)

70ml white wine

700g passata

300ml hot fish stock

1 bulb of fennel (finely chopped)

1 tsp paprika

Black pepper/ pinch of salt

Olive oil

Small handful of fresh basil leaves (plus a few extra to garnish)

Juice of half a lemon

Handful of green olives

4 spring onions (chopped)

1 tsp crushed chillies (or 2 small fresh red chillies)

A selection of fish (2 salmon fillets, 1 large piece of cod, prawns) all defrosted and ready to cook

For the saffron dip: (alternatively you can skip the saffron and have a simple garlic dip instead)

4 heaped tbsp low fat plain yoghurt

A small pinch of saffron (you really only need a very tiny pinch!)

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

Juice of half a lemon

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For the saffron dip: Add the yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic to a small mixing bowl. Then add the saffron and mix well until the saffron is well combined with the yoghurt. Pour into a serving bowl and place in the fridge until needed.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil into a large/ deep pan. Add the onions, garlic, chillies and fennel with a pinch of salt to the pan and cook on a medium heat for around 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Then pour in the wine and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Pour the passata into the pan along with the fish stock. Stir in some chopped fresh basil and the paprika and leave to gently simmer for around 5 minutes.

Cut the fish into chunks and add to the pan. Try and add the fish that takes slightly longer in first. I added the prawns in last. Throw in the olives and pour in the juice of half a lemon. Place the lid onto the pan and leave to cook for around 10-15 minutes.

Once the fish is cooked then stir in some more fresh basil and the spring onions. 

Pour into bowls and serve with the saffron sauce and some fresh bread on the side.

For more great recipes check out A Modern Rose website!