Peixe Caldeirada

TGIF Amigos!
In the Azorean culture we eat lots of seafood. Think of all the fresh fish that was accessible to them living on the islands. Mediterranean diets are full of heart healthy fats. Growing up we ate all kinds of fish, cooked all kinds of ways. When I ask my mother what she put in a certain dish it's typically always the same ingredients: cebola, alho, azeite e vinho. The only question I need to ask next time is "how" did you cook it?
The dish I'm sharing with you tonight is called Peixe Caldeirada. Same ingredients as piexe assada no forno, but with different cooking methods the flavors come out so different. It's kinda dangerous how good it is. You can eat up 3 pop secos soaking up the juice and not even know it. Here's my families Peixe Caldeirada recipe. Your family might cut the potatoes different, but this is how we do ours :)


Peixe Caldeirada 

2 medium onions sliced thin 
8 garlic cloves chopped or grated 
8 medium potatoes sliced thin 
1 bunch salsa chopped (that's parsley not what you dip chips in) 
1 bay leaf 
1/4 cup white wine (will make potatoes hard if you add in the beginning. wait till half way in cooking process) 1/2 cup good olive oil
Fish - We like to use tile, mackerel or red snapper. Use Whole fish or very thick steaks
8 tomatoes sliced thick half teaspoon paprika salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel potatoes and slice thin, layering them on bottom of large dutch oven or pot. 
2. Slice tomatoes thick and layer over potatoes. 
3. Slice onions thin and layer over the tomatoes into rings. Important to have onions and tomatoes on top of potatoes so the juices can run down and cook potatoes thoroughly.
4. Go ahead and add a quarter of your grated garlic over the onions.
5. Season cavity of fish with s+p, fresh grated garlic and parsley. 
6. Place the fish on top of your potato, tomato and onion layer.
7. Continue making another layer on top of fish with potato, tomato,and onion the same way.
8. Sprinkle parsley over.
9. Add bay leaf inside so you can't see it.
10. sprinkle paprika over . 
11. Drizzle good olive oil all over 
12. Cover and cook on low for 45 minutes to an hour. You want to cook this low and slow so all the flavors are absorbed well into the fish.
13. Half way through taste to see if it needs more salt. Add your white wine now as well. 
14. Sprinkle rest of parsley before serving.  
Please serve with Portuguese rolls to soak up all that juice.

first layer of potatoes 

next layer onions

then layer tomatoes

Next Fish and parsley 

Add your top layer of potatoes, tomatoes and onions and drizzle olive oil

Cover and simmer low for 45 minutes to an hour

Hope you enjoy it!  Please share if you do, we would love to see your stories and pictures!