Seafood Potjie

*This is a traditional South African stew that was originally created by the Dutch settlers in Capetown in the 1600’s. It is traditionally cooked over a large open fire in a cauldron type pot, but here I have adjusted it for your home stove top. It is essentially a delicious comforting spicy seafood stew. You will want to serve this with a fresh grain such as rice or quinoa, or a lovely, toasted garlic bread to scoop up the sauce.

Sauce

Ingredients:

¼ cup rapeseed oil

232g/2 large shallots, diced fine

243g/1 large bell pepper, cleaned and diced fine

37g/6 cloves of garlic, minced

18g/1 large long red chili, chopped fine

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp curry powder

40g fresh parsley, picked from stem and chopped

36g fresh thyme, picked from stem and chopped

146g sundried tomato, roughly chopped 

400g/ 1 can tomatoes

1 ½ tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

10g piece of kombu seaweed

4 bay leaf

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 cups white wine

1 ½ cup chicken broth

Seafood

Ingredients:

318g large shelled and deveined prawns

(1 lemon + ½ tsp salt + 1 tbsp oil for marinade)

365g firm white fish

(1 lemon + ½ tsp salt + 1 tbsp oil for marinade)

1.164 bag of fresh mussels

408g fresh squid, larger in size 

Gremolata

Ingredients:

Yield: 189g

50g fresh basil

30g fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic

½ tsp salt

80g raw cashews

3 tbsp olive oil

Zest of two lemons

Method:

Blend everything but zest in blender and blend. Add zest. 

Potjie

Method:

Add the oil to a large pot and heat to medium. Add the shallots and red pepper. Sauté until softened, or about 7/8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic. Cook another 3 minutes. Add the spices and tomato paste and cook another 3 minutes. Add all the tomatoes, salt, and sugar and cook another few minutes to combine. Add the kombu, fish sauce, herbs, broth, and white wine. Cook down on medium low heat for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is reduced by half. Be careful not to cook until too thick or will become bitter. While this is cooking down, marinate the seafood. Clean the squid of the outer membrane and discard wings. Cut into thick rings. Debeard and safety check the muscles and chill. Clean and butterfly your prawns and chill. Cut the fish into bite size large chunks and chill. 

While the sauce is simmering, add the mussels and cover. After five minutes add the fish and stir well. After ¾ minutes, add the prawns and stir well. After 3 minutes, add the calamari and stir well. Cook another three minutes and serve. It is important to note the succession of shellfish and fish so the pieces do not overcook. 

*This method would also be the traditional method. However, to elevate this dish, it could done in that the mussels could be cooked solely in the base sauce, adding the cubed fish half way through (or about five minutes) and then actually cook the butterfly prawns under the grill, the squid scoured (not in rings) and pan fried, with them added at the end and not cooked in the base at all.

To Plate: 

Juice of one lemon and 4 tbsp olive into large stewing pot then: 

2 tbsp gremolata per bowl

Drizzle of olive oil over each bowl 

A few coriander leaves per bowl

12g/ One chili, sliced thin and a few pieces per bowl