CARIBBEAN FISH STEW - LET THE EXPERIMENT BEGIN!

Okay, I admit it. I did it again. Was thumbing through the paper one morning, just before getting my daily crossword fix, and came across a recipe for Caribbean Shrimp Soup. It came from, of all places, the Kansas City Star. Now, what they know about anything having to do with Caribbean cooking in Kansas City, beats the hell out of me. But there was something there that caught my eye. The liquid base for this interesting concoction was ..... "tomato vegetable juice and vegetable stock".


Ok, so that was interesting, but I was immediately thinking, more flavor! Of course, I never met a recipe that didn't need changing. So, I immediately took a gustatory leap and thought, aha..... V-8 and chicken stock. And, I was off. I doubled the liquid (my brain keeps saying "more is better, more is better". You would think I was starved as a child.) Added firm white fish (I used true cod) to the shrimp. Dramatically increased the onions, garlic and ginger. (of course) I was on a roll, now. (More heat, more heat!) Added two cans of chopped green chilis, a second jalapeno, Tabasco and some Penzey's cajun spice. (now we'recookin!) Increased the carrots, added celery and doubled the cumin and the lime.(Whew! This creative cooking takes a lot of energy) Now just one last touch ... wouldn't be Caribbean without black beans. But not just any black beans. SW Caribbean style black beans! OF COURSE!


Wow, that was fun. I wonder if it will work? Well, it's basically no longer a soup...more of a stew, really. And, if you follow my recipe it makes a helluva lot. (Filled my cast iron dutch oven right to the brim.) So you might want to cut the recipe in 1/2 if you're feeding fewer that six hearty eaters. Of course, I would recommend you serve it with a nice mound of aromatic rice (maybe put some toasted pine nuts in it to give it a little crunch) or some warm flat bread for dipping. Although, not very Caribbean, some crispy cheese quesadillas would work well, too.

So, there it is. Another perfectly good recipe mangled and manipulated, stretched and twisted by the Dr. Frankenstein of food ...The Kitchen Dwarf. (Oh, by the way ...it's delicious!)

CARIBBEAN SEAFOOD STEW

2 white onions, chopped

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup chopped celery

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tblsp finely minced ginger

2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp, bite size

1 lb firm white fish, cut into bite-size pieces (cod works well)

1 tblsp cajun spice

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

Tabasco, dash or to taste

6 cups V-8 juice

4 cups chicken stock

2 large cans (3 oz?) chopped green chilis

2 cans (16 oz) SW Caribbean style black beans, with juice

1 can (16 oz) diced tomatos, drained

2 cups frozen corn

juice of 2 limes

chopped cilantro

In three tblsp of oil, sautee onions, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger and jalapeno in a large pot or Dutch Oven until soft. Add the green chilis and sprinkle in the Cajun spice. Sautee one minute more. Add corn and tomatos and stir to mix. Add V-8 and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook, stirring, about 15 minutes. Add the beans and juice from beans. Bring back to a simmer. Taste and correct seasonings. Add the fish and simmer until the fish flakes easily. (Do not overcook!) Add the shrimp and simmer until done. (This will only take a minute or two ... again, don't overcook!) Add the lime juice.

In a large, flat bowl put a mound of rice in the middle and spoon the stew around the rice. Sprinke with chopped cilantro for color.