Liechtensteiner Fish Stew is sort of like the American seafood gumbo, but yet quite different. Yes, it features seafoods, and it is a stew, but … the spices and combinations of ingredients make Liechtensteiner Fish Stew a very unique to its own ethnic culture dish. And trust me, it is wonderful!

Liechtensteiner Fish Stew Recipe-

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

• 7 oz. (200 grams) dark rye bread, sliced ½” thick
• 10 oz. (300 grams) of canned in oil sprats, oil drained off
• 2-1/2 lb. (750 grams) sturdy meat fish, such as cod, mahi mahi, or snapper
• 4 green onions, trimmed and chopped
• 1 large. ripe tomato, chopped
• 1 potato, peeled and chopped into 1-1/2” cubes, then boiled just until still a little chewy
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and fine chopped
• 1 large stalk of celery, left whole
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh marjoram
• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 cups fish or chicken broth
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Trim onions and chop them. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Chop the tomato.
2. If your fish is whole, and needs be, scale it, remove fins, head and tail, remove innards, and fillet. Then rinse and wash clean. Chop the fillets into large bite-sized chunks, season with salt and pepper, set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-duty skillet over medium heat and sauté the spring onions, until softened and fragrant.
4. Add the broth, tomato, garlic, celery stalk, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust burner heat so the mixture is cooking at a lively simmer. Stir frequently
5. When the broth is cooking and blending, add in the fish pieces, adjust burner to maintain a lively simmer, and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add the sprats into the skillet. Add in the boiled potato chunks also.
7. Do a taste test. Adjust salt and pepper if need be.
8. Remove the celery stalk from the cooking mixture and discard.
9. In a mortar and pestle, pulverize the garlic, marjoram and parsley into a mash.
10. Using a mixing bowl, put the mash into it, and pour in and stir together some of the cooking broth, enough to make it loosened enough to pour.
11. To serve your Liechtensteiner Fish Stew, place a slice of rye bread on a serving plate, then pour some of the broth/mash mixture over the bread. Using a slotted spoon, ladle out a generous portion of the fish and place it atop the bread. Lastly, using a large soup ladle, douse the entire dish with the tomato/potato/sprat/broth from the skillet. Garnish each serving bowl of Liechtensteiner Fish Stew with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.

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