Sicilian-Style Fish Stew Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish (2024)

An all-star recipe for fish stew with a Sicilian twist! The comfort of Italian flavors in one delicious stew cooked in a white wine-tomato broth with garlic, capers, raisins more!

Sicilian-Style Fish Stew Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish (1)

In Italy, as in many parts of the Mediterranean basin, fish is often combined with tomatoes and other local ingredients to make delicious and quick one-pot-wonders like today's Sicilian-style fish stew.

I'll just come right out and say this now. This fish stew is best eaten with family and close friends because, if you eat it the right way--with crusty Italian bread to sop up the lovely sauce--it can get pretty messy. Finger-liking-good kinda messy!

Sicilian-Style Fish Stew Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish (2)

This fish stew recipe is quite simple, but the balance of flavors is truly incredible. From lovely and familiar aromatics like onions and garlic--providing the glorious start to this recipe--to a hint of sweetness from golden raisins balanced with tart capers. All the while, a white wine and tomato-based broth marries everything together.

Sea bass fillet was my choice for this fish stew recipe, but you can use any firm white-fleshed fillets here.

Sicilian-Style Fish Stew Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish (3)

I adapted this recipe from America's Test Kitchen's new book, The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. Here's a great tip I picked up: To prevent the fish from overcooking and drying out, it's best to add the fish towards the end, when the stew is nearly done. Let it simmer until it's partially cooked, then turn the stove off and cover the pot to let the fish finish cooking by residual heat.

Add a salad!

If you like, add a simple green salad to start the meal or try one of these:

Kindey Bean and Cilantro Salad; Mediterranean Chickpea Salad; Greek Salad or Fattoush.

More recipes to try

Mediterranean-Style Steamed Clams

Easy Salmon Soup

One Pan Shrimp and Rice

Grilled Swordfish

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Sicilian-Style Fish Stew Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish (4)

Sicilian-Style Fish Stew Recipe

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4.9 from 50 reviews

  • Author: The Mediterranean Dish
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: serves 4-6 1x
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Description

An all-star recipe for fish stew with a Sicilian twist! The comfort of Italian flavors in one delicious stew cooked in a white wine-tomato broth with garlic, capers, raisins more!

Ingredients

Scale

  • Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • ¾ cup dry white wine
  • 1 28-oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes, juice separated and reserved
  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
  • 2 lb skinless sea bass fillet, about 1 ½-inch thick, cut into large cubes
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, stems removed
  • 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts, optional
  • Crusty Italian bread for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in 5-quart Dutch oven (like this one) over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and a little salt and pepper (about ½ teaspoon each). Cook, stirring regularly, until softened (about 4 minutes). Add thyme, red pepper flakes and garlic and cook briefly until fragrant (about 30 more seconds).
  2. Now, stir in the white wine and reserved tomato juice from can. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced by about ½. Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, raisins, and capers. Cook for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until flavors combine.
  3. Pat the fish dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Insert the fish pieces into the cooking liquid, and give everything a gentle stir so that the fish pieces are nicely covered in the cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and cover. Let sit off heat for another 4-5 minutes so that the fish will finish cooking. Fish should be flaky when gently pulled apart with a paring knife. Finally, stir in the chopped parsley.
  4. Ladle the hot fish stew into serving bowls, top each with a few toasted pine nuts, if you like. Serve with your favorite crusty bread! Enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe adapted from The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook
  • Recommended for this Recipe: Our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives!)
  • Visit our store to browse our spices, olive oils and bundles!
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Category: Entree/Soup
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean / Sicilian

[optin-monster-shortcode id="tmhiqurdtx8d1m4p"]

More Recipes to Try:

Mediterranean Fish Fillet, Shakshuka Style

Baked Sole Fillet Recipe

Mediterranean Wholre Roasted Baked Red Snapper

Greek Shrimp Recipe with Tomato and Feta

I'm Suzy; born and bred right on the shores of the Mediterranean. I'm all about easy, healthy recipes with big Mediterranean flavors. Three values guide my cooking: eat with the seasons; use whole foods; and above all, share! So happy you're here...
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Sicilian-Style Fish Stew Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish (2024)

FAQs

What are different names for fish stew? ›

Types of fish stew from around the world include:
  • Asam Pedas (Indonesian) and (Malaysian)
  • Bouillabaisse (Provençal fish stew originating from Marseille, France)
  • Bourride (another fish stew from Provence)
  • Brudet (Italian, from Adriatic sea)
  • Buridda (Italian, from Liguria)
  • Cacciucco (Italian, from Livorno)

What is fish stew made of? ›

Caribbean Fish Stew – A simple stew with marinated red snapper and tilapia, infused with spices, herbs bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions – Simply delicious.

What red wine goes with fish stew? ›

Pinot Noir, Gamay, Sangiovese, Grenache

Chianti, which is mostly Sangiovese, with spaghetti and clam sauce or octopus stewed in tomato sauce is wonderful. Be careful, though: avoid combining reds with spicy seafood, as you will probably get a nasty metallic taste.

What pairs well with cioppino? ›

Cioppino is traditionally served with grilled sourdough bread, what could be more quintessentially San Francisco than that? While this hearty stew is more than a meal on its own, a simple salad like our Lemon Parmesan Lettuce Salad or our Fresh Fennel Orange Salad would make a lovely side.

What is the difference between fish stew and fish soup? ›

Fish soups are similar to fish stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, fish soups generally have more liquid than stews. Fish soups have been made since early times.

Which of these is a French stew of fish and seafood originally from the French Mediterranean coast? ›

Bouillabaisse is a rich fish stew that originated in the French port city of Marseille on the Mediterranean coast.

What does cioppino mean in Italian? ›

The word “cioppino” comes from the Ligurian dialect “ciuppin” and means “chopped, torn to pieces”. This unfussy soup was consumed by mariners and port workers in taverns and inns around the Ligurian harbors.

What is the liquid in stew called? ›

Broth is a thin soup made of the water in which flavor-enhancing ingredients like meat, vegetables, and herbs and spices have been simmered. The liquid is strained after cooking to remove the flavoring ingredients. The broth can be served on its own or used as the base for a heartier soup or stew.

What's the difference between bouillabaisse and cioppino? ›

Q: What is the difference between bouillabaisse and cioppino? A: Actually there isn't much difference other than Cioppino is Italian with a tomato-based broth and bouillabaisse is French with a bit of saffron and chopped tomatoes added to a fish broth.

Do Italians drink red wine with fish? ›

Although most people will say that only white wines should be paired with fish or shellfish, anything goes today, and Italian red wine varietals can be an excellent accompaniment for seafood. Chianti: Situated in the region of Tuscany in central Italy, Chianti is probably the best-known of all Italian wine districts.

What alcohol is best to drink with stew? ›

Top pairings

Stews tend to be intensely flavoured with a rich thick sauce so you could argue that you need a big wine to hold its own. But that can be overwhelming. I prefer a slightly lighter more rustic red - grape varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Malbec and Tempranillo hit the spot for me.

Why doesn't red wine go with fish? ›

The research also seems to answer why some red wines can actually compliment seafood and fish, while others make you run for the motion sickness bag. The researchers identified an “iron threshold” of 2 miligrams per liter. Any red wine containing more than this amount spoils the seafood pairing.

Do they have cioppino in Italy? ›

Today, Cioppino is generally made from cooking seafood in a broth and is often served in a crab shell. The name is believed to come from cioppino, a classic Italian soup from Liguria, a region in Italy, that uses less tomato in the broth.

What is the best wine for cioppino? ›

Cioppino Wine Pairing Recommendations
  • Zinfandel. Zinfandel is a black pepper-spiced wine, with plenty of deep red and black fruits like plum, pomegranate, and raspberry. ...
  • Albarino. ...
  • Vermentino. ...
  • Provencal Rose. ...
  • Sauvignon Blanc. ...
  • Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. ...
  • Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. ...
  • Beaujolais.
Mar 24, 2020

What is another name for cioppino? ›

Cioppino, bourride, brodetto, cacciucco, zarzuela, gumbo. Fish soup. Shellfish stew.

What is a fancy name for fish soup? ›

What is another word for fish stew?
bouillabaissebourride
brodettoburidda
cacciuccocaldeirada
cioppinocotriade
halaszlemaeuntang
8 more rows

What is the term for seafood soup? ›

  1. bouillabaisse. [noun] a traditional French fish stew made with a variety of fish, shellfish, vegetables, and herbs, typically served with bread and a garlicky mayonnaise called rouille.
  2. bisque. [noun] ...
  3. chowder. [noun] ...
  4. clam chowder. [noun] ...
  5. fish chowder. [noun] ...
  6. gumbo. [noun] ...
  7. buridda. [noun] ...
  8. mohinga. [noun]

What is the name of the fisherman's soup? ›

Fisherman's soup or halászlé (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈhɒlaːsleː]) is a hot, spicy paprika-based fish soup. A folk item of Hungarian cuisine, it is a bright-red hot dish prepared with generous amounts of hot paprika and carp or mixed river fish.

What is fish broth called? ›

Fish stock, also called fumét in French, is a magnificent base for making soups, chowders, seafood risotto, and any number of sauces. But you may shy away from making your own stock because it is disproportionately labor- or time-intensive.

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