Breton Fish Stew (Cotriade)
A cotriade is a traditional, coastal Breton fish stew and every family has its own recipe. It’s made using whole fish, cut into pieces, rather than fillets, with squid and mussels.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 stalk celery thinly sliced
- 1 leek white and light green parts only, halved crosswise, washed and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 250 ml white wine optional
- 1.75 litres vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 227 g baby potatoes halved
- 1 large squid tube cut into rings
- 450 g white fish cod, haddock, or halibut
- 450 g mussels scrubbed and debearded
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
To Serve:
- Crusty bread optional
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or preferably a cast-iron casserole, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, shallot, garlic, celery and leek. Season with salt and pepper and cook just until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the wine (if using) and let reduce by half. Stir in the vegetable stock, bay leaves, thyme and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the potatoes and squid rings; cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the fish and cook for 10 minutes, or until almost cooked through. Add the cleaned mussels and cover until the mussels have opened, about 2 to 4 minutes.
- Discard any closed mussels and stir everything together. Sprinkle fronds over top. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and crusty bread.