VERACRUZ STYLE FISH STEW WITH PIE CRUST CROUTONS
I have been chosen as 1 of 30 bloggers to compete in the Wick’s Pies Blogger Recipe Challenge. The challenge is to create innovative and unique recipes with Wick’s pie crusts in 3 categories – Breakfast, Entree, and Dessert.
Fall is here in the Northeast and we are loving the cooler days and chilly nights. In our house that means it’s soup season!! Last night, I created a fish stew in the Veracruz ‘style’ with a rich tomato broth studded with multi-color peppers, capers, and olives. I gave the dish a few twists by using not only cod, which is traditional, but also chunks of luscious salmon filet and I topped the stew with Wick’s Pies ‘croutons’ that really made this stew extra special! The croutons added a gorgeous visual and the perfect texture balance with the silky soup. My family loved it and declared this dish as ‘swimmingly good’ (pun intended)!! Spoiler alert – you may want to make double the croutons since half the tray mysteriously disappeared before I had a chance to serve up the soup!!
Here’s how I made the stew:
FYI – You can also click on any of the photos in the post for a link to the recipe or scroll to the bottom of this post for the whole recipe. You can also click on the Wick’s logo above for a direct link to their website and shop page.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven (5-6 quart) or soup pot over medium high heat. Cook 1 chopped onion and 6 chopped cloves of garlic for 2 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, and green) cut into strips and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes until they begin to soften. Add 1 small julienned zucchini, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning to the pan and cook for 3-4 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Add 1, 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cups of seafood or chicken stock, 2 tablespoons capers, ⅓ cup green olives, and 8 ounces baby potatoes to the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let cook for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a steak knife.
Add ¾ pound of salmon filet, cut into 3-4″ chunks, to the pot and bring the heat back to medium high. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add ¾ pound of cod filet, cut into 3-4″ chunks, to the pan and cook until it begins to flake, stirring gently. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley to the pan and turn the heat to low to keep warm while you prepare the croutons.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place 1 Wick’s dough disk on a lightly floured countertop. Using a cookie cutter or using a knife (freehand), cut the dough into fish shapes (or whatever shape you desire). Try to cut them as close together as possible. Roll any scraps back out and cut more shapes.
Place them on the parchment and brush beaten egg over the tops of each crouton to coat. Sprinkle sea salt over the tops. Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
Serve the stew topped with several of the croutons (if you can resist eating them all straight off the tray). Garnish with more parsley and serve with a lime wedge for squeezing. DEVOUR!!
VERACRUZ STYLE FISH STEW WITH PIE CRUST CROUTONS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small zucchini, julienned into strips ½” wide by 3” long
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Dish off the Block Ciao Bella Italian Spice Blend
1, 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
2 cups seafood or chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers
⅓ cup green Spanish olives with pimento
8 ounces baby potatoes, cut into 1” pieces (if on the larger side)
¾ pound salmon filet, skinned and cut into 3-4″ chunks
¾ pound cod filet, skinned and cut into 3-4″ chunks
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 Wick’s Pies 9” dough disk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 limes, cut into quarters
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (5-6 quart) or soup pot over medium high heat. Cook the onions and garlic for 2 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add all of the peppers and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes until they begin to soften.
Add the zucchini, 1 teaspoon of the salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning to the pan and cook for 3-4 more minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes, stock, capers, olives, and potatoes to the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let cook for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a steak knife.
Add the salmon to the pot and bring the heat back to medium high. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cod to the pan and cook until it begins to flake, stirring gently. Add half of the parsley to the pan and turn the heat to low to keep warm while you prepare the croutons.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place your Wick’s dough disk on a lightly floured countertop. Using a cookie cutter or using a knife (freehand), cut the dough into fish shapes (or whatever shape you desire). Try to cut them as close together as possible. Roll any scraps back out and cut more shapes.
Place them on the parchment and brush the beaten egg over the tops of each crouton to coat. Sprinkle the sea salt over the tops. Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
Serve the stew topped with several of the croutons (if you can resist eating them all straight off the tray). Garnish with more parsley and serve with a lime wedge for squeezing. DEVOUR
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