Bowl of Puerto Rican Fish Soup
(click to enlarge)

Fish Soup / Stew


Puerto Rico
Makes:
Makes:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 cups
***
1-1/4 hrs
Yes		 A delicious soup/stew with flexible ingredients. The given amount of stock makes it a thick soup. I have usually filleted the fish, frozen the fillets and made the stock days ahead (see Note-1 and Note-2).




1
14
5
4
3
1/4
2
1
1
-------
4-1/2
-------
1
1/4
1-3/4
1
1/2
-------
ar
ar
#
oz
oz
cl
oz
c
T
T
t
---
oz
---
T
c
c
t
t
---
Fish fillets, firm (1)  
Tomatoes
Onion
Garlic
Chili, mild (3)
Cilantro
Olives (4)
Capers
Oregano, dried
-- Options
(see Options)
--------
Oil
Wine, white
Fish stock (2)
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Cilantro
or Avocado dice
Do-Ahead   -   (1-1/2 hrs - 55 min work)
  1. Fillet the FISH and prepare the STOCK (See Note-2).
Prep   -   (45 min)
  1. Cut the Fillets into about 1 inch squares.
  2. Prepare any Options you may wish to include.
  3. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Cut into 1/2 inch dice.
  4. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice thin crosswise.
  5. Crush GARLIC and chop small.
  6. Blast CHILIS black with your Kitchen Torch and brush off the skins under running water. Cut into strips about 3/8 inches wide and 1 inch long.
  7. Slice OLIVES into halves or thirds, depending on size. Drain Capers and mix with Olives.
  8. Chop CILANTRO small
Run   -   (40 min)
  1. In a pan or pot large enough for the whole recipe, heat Oil and fry Onions until translucent but not browning.
  2. Stir in Garlic and fry stirring another minute.
  3. Stir in Tomatoes, Chilis and Olive mix. Fry, stirring often, until Tomatoes are softened.
  4. Stir Fish, Oregano, Wine and Fish Stock. Bring to a simmer and simmer until your fish is just cooked through and flakes. This can be 4 minutes to 10 minutes depending on the fish.
  5. Stir in Cilantro, Salt and Pepper. Simmer another 1 minute.
NOTES:

  1. Fish:

      Buy whole fish for this, because you need the bones, fins and heads for making fish stock. Yes, you can have your fish monger scale and gut the fish. You want a light colored fish that stays firm during cooking. Pompano, Snapper, Flounder and Emperor are all suitable. Tilapia, used for the photo example, is a bit too delicate. For guests I would select Pompano, a Caribbean fish that's more durable and does not need to be skinned. For further details see our Varieties of Fish page (very large page).

  2. Fillets & Stock:

      This can be done days, even weeks ahead, if you freeze the fillets and preserve the stock according to our instructions. If you are new to this sort of thing, you will find links to complete instructions for cleaning and filleting different kinds of fish on our Varieties of Fish Page. Instructions for Cleaning and Filleting are at Cleaning and Filleting Round Bodied Fish. Complete instructions for making and storing fish stock are on our Making Fish Stock page.

  3. Chili, Mild:

      In Puerto Rico they would use Cubanelles, and probably also some Aji Dulce, since they seem to use those in everything. Cubanelles aren't available in much of North America, and Aji Dulce just plain aren't available except in Florida. Low heat Hungarian or Armenian / Turkish chilis are good substitutes. Low heat yellow Banana Peppers are good, and if none of those are available, Green Anaheims work well. For details see our Chilis of the Caribbean page.

  4. Olives

      These should be Spanish Manzanilla Pimiento Stuffed Olives, Unstuffed ones will also work. Measure is after slicing.

  5. Options

      Seafoods that can be put in with the fish are: Shrimp, Oyster Meats (small), Clam Meats (small), Sea Cucumber, Periwinkle Meats. Seafood that should be put in with the Cilantro are: Squid (thin).
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste, lrg=large
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