We eat mostly vegetarian, and vegan when we can. But when we visit our old haunts at Amelia Island in Florida, we find ourselves drawn to the plentiful, fresh seafood available at the markets here. We fell in love with this fish stew we found at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the outskirts Miami. It was only served up on Sunday mornings, with sides of grits and cornbread, as an antidote to the previous night’s debauchery… before people headed off to church.

It’s a simple soup that comes together quickly. The generous portion of fresh grouper, combined with the coconut milk, lime and spicy peppers make this a standout recipe sure to tingle your taste buds.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2-4 dried arbol chili peppers, or fresh serranos
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 4 cups seafood stock
• ½ lb red potatoes, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
• ½ can coconut milk
• 1-2 Tbs lime juice or to taste
• 1 lb fresh grouper or cod, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
• Salt and pepper to taste
• chopped cilantro and lime wedges to garnish

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a medium-sized stew pot. Add the onions, garlic and dried peppers and stir occasionally until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, oregano and coriander. Bring back to heat and then add the stock (If you can’t find seafood stock, you can substitute 1 Tbs of dashi dissolved in 4 cups or water, or use vegetable stock). Bring back to a simmer and add the potatoes. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are just fork-tender (I’ve also added quartered corn on the cob to the stew for a little variety). Add the lime juice, coconut milk, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Bring back to a simmer and add the grouper. Cook for another 5 minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Serve up with cilantro and lime wedges.