While humble in origin and with iterations in kind around the globe, it’s not an understatement to say fish stew is woven into the very fabric of Spain’s culinary landscape. Rustic, simple and flavourful, this Spanish fish stew interpretation starts with a sofrito base while chorizo, saffron and sweet smoked paprika lend a characteristic Spanish touch to the dish.
Ingredients
Sofrito
- 250ml olive oil
- 15 cloves garlic
- 1kg brown onions, finely chopped
- 2 medium green capsicums, finely chopped
- 2 medium red capsicums, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 large leek, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60g tomato paste
Fish stew
- 40ml olive oil
- 1 chorizo, chopped
- 250ml sofrito
- 250ml white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch toasted saffron
- ½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 30ml sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 500g vine-ripened or Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1L fish stock
- 800g waxy potatoes, roughly 2cm chunks, cooked to al dente
- Parsely, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 4 x 125g skinless barramundi fillets (222584), pan fried
Method
Sofrito
Add all the ingredients except the tomato paste to warm olive oil and sauté until the onion starts to turn golden. Reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring often, until the sofrito is caramelised—richly coloured and sweet to taste. This takes about 50 minutes to an hour. Add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Refrigerate until needed. Makes about 4 cups.
Spanish fish stew
Fry the chorizo in the olive oil until just golden, add the sofrito and sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the wine and reduce by about half. Toss in the bay leaf, stir through the saffron, paprika, cayenne pepper, vinegar and sugar.
Add the tomatoes and stock, simmer for 20-30 minutes before gently stirring through the potatoes, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes. Just before serving stir through the parsley and lemon juice, season to taste.
Preparing the fish
This recipe calls for a pan-fried, skinless fillet of barramundi – so that the premium quality of the fish can be seen sitting as the hero of the dish. Sear the seasoned fish in a heavy pan with olive oil until nicely browned.
For a more traditional stew, the barramundi can be cut into chunks and added to the top of the stew, covered and stewed until the fish is cooked through.
Kitchen notes
The stew can be prepped up to the point of adding the stock and tomato in advance then finished for service.
Fresh tomatoes, while more authentic, can be substituted with passata or canned tomoatoes.
Fish stock will give an added depth to the flavour. However, chicken or vegetable stock all work.
As seen in autumn 2025
