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Point Pleasant Beach Sicilian Bluefish Stew

3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 stalk of celery (with the leaves), chopped
1 small green or red pepper, chopped
1 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
8 cloves of garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoons of Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried orgeano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 28-ounce can, of Italian-style Peeled Tomatos,chopped, with juice
1 - 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2-3 pounds of bluefish cut into 2 inch pieces
A good pinch of saffron
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
a pinch of baking soda
a pinch of sugar



Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat
and add the onions, celery, green/red pepper and carrot. Sweat the
vegetables 8-10 minutes until translucent - don't let them carmelize.
Add the garlic, parsley, oregano, and thyme. Cook for another minute or
two until the garlic is fragrant.

Crush the Italian-Style tomatoes (squishing them by hand is fun for
kids of all ages - but watch out they'll squirt at ya!) Add tomatoes to
the pot and cook, 10-12 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down a
bit. Add the wine, raise the heat and bring to a low boil. Boil 5
minutes, stirring often, break up the tomatos if they're too big (I
like them a bit chunky). Add the water to thin out the tomato soup
base. The goal here is a fish stew not tomato sauce. Add salt and
pepper to taste. If the tomato base is too acidic add a pinch of
baking soda. It you want a sweeter taste to the tomatos add a pinch
of. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for another 8-10
minutes.

Reduce heat. Add bluefish. Poach fish 5-7 minutes, or until opaque and
cooked through. Correct seasonings. Add fresh parsley. Serve in wide
bowls with crusty bread, or better yet garlic bread, and a big green
salad.

Note: When I'm making the stew, I usually just "eyeball it" all,
tweaking things here and there along the way. The amounts aren't set in
stone, but they're close enough to make a good meal. It's a pretty
flexible recipe, so it lends itself well to improvisation and
experimentation.

Enjoy!
Steve