Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada De Peixe)
By: Shirley
Published: Saturday, September 11, 2010 - 4:36pm

Ingredients




1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 leeks, washed to remove interior soil and coarsely chopped
1 bulb fennel, white parts only, coarsely chopped
5 finely chopped garlic cloves
1 cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 bay leaf
1 Zest of orange
1 cup quart fish stock or water, or an 8- ounce bottle of clam 
2 cups dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon Scant hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 pounds mixed white, non-oily boneless fish and shellfish, or just fish

Preparation

1 Heat the oil in a large stockpot, add the onions and leeks, and saute in olive oil until softened. Add the fennel and garlic and saute until aromatic. 2 Add all the remaining ingredients except the fish and shellfish and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. 3 While the stock is simmering, cut the fish into bite-size portions. Bring the stock back to a rapid boil, add the fish, and cook for 1 minute. 4 Add the shellfish (if using) and continue to boil until shells open, approximately 1 minute. Shake the pan occasionally to encourage clam and mussel shells to open. If using shrimp, turn off the heat as soon as all the shrimp lose their gray translucency; any longer and they quickly become tough and overcooked. depending on your pot and burner, this will probably be about 2 to 3 minutes. 5 Serve hot with wedges of Broa (Portuguese Corn Bread). 6 NOTE: Discard any clams or mussels that do not open.