Cooks Country Fish Stew Food

NORTH CAROLINA FISH STEW

Steps:

• Cook bacon until crisp over medium heat in an 8 to 10 quart Dutch oven or heavy pot (I recommend a 10 quart), about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off heat, remove bacon and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Set bacon aside and leave fat in pot.
• Add potatoes, onions and fish in layers (in the order written) in the pot over the fat. Do not stir.
• Pour in tomato soup and stewed tomatoes with juices.
• Add salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and red pepper.
• Add just enough water to cover (approximately 5 cups). Do not stir.
• Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil/high simmer (medium to medium low).
• Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender (but not falling apart) and fish is fully cooked.
• While stew is at a gentle boil, add eggs one at a time (break the eggs and put the raw eggs into the stew, then discard shells) in a single layer on top of the stew. Cook until eggs are fully cooked (about 4 to 5 minutes). Note that the eggs will break up into chunks while they're cooking.
• Season with additional salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and/or red pepper, if desired.
• Return reserved bacon to stew or serve topped with reserved bacon.

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA FISH STEW

Steps:

• Cut the bacon slices into 1-inch squares. Brown them in the bottom of a 10-to-12-quart stockpot over medium heat. Once bacon is crisp, remove it and reserve, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Whisk the tomato paste into the fat, making sure you scrape up all the brown bits left from browning the bacon.
• Turn the heat off and begin layering the ingredients in the stockpot. Start with a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of onions and garlic, followed by a layer of fish. Top the fish with roughly a third of the salt, a third of the chile flakes and 1 bay leaf. Repeat this layering process two more times.
• Fill the pot with enough cool water to just barely reach the top of the fish. (If there's a little fish peeking out over the top, that's O.K. - better than if it's swimming in water.) Cover the pot with a tightfitting lid and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (Throughout the cooking, resist the urge to stir.) Once it starts to boil, reduce heat and let it cook, covered, at a high simmer for about 15 minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness. They should be barely tender, not falling apart.
• Use a large spoon to remove the fat from the surface of the soup, and discard. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed. Then, with the stew at a good simmer, add the eggs one by one in a single layer over the top. (Crack each egg into a small cup before dropping it in.) Cook the eggs for 5 minutes until they are lightly set.
• As soon as the eggs are lightly set, use a large ladle to portion out the stew. A proper serving is at least half a fish steak, some potatoes, some onions and an egg swimming in broth. Shower each bowl with bacon, and serve immediately with a piece or two of bread, if desired.