A Big Lesson Learned

Weekends tend to be the days where I experiment and try recipes that may take a little bit longer to prepare. This weekend was cold and rainy in my neck of the woods and what is better than a big, steamy pot of stew. I couldn't think of anything. M was looking through a cookbook and came across a recipe for a Brazilian Fish Stew. Interesting, right? It had some interesting sounding flavors with hot peppers, lime, and coconut milk. We decided to make it that night. We went right out to the store.



Now, I have never cooked with hot peppers before so I was actually pretty excited. The recipe called for 2-3 cayenne peppers but we decided to get one regulation hot pepper. Since this is not something we had ever cooked with, we decided to air on the side of caution and go safe. Fast forward a few hours and I wasn't thinking it was a safe choice anymore. I'll explain later. We also included a red bell pepper which added a touch of sweetness. The original recipe also calls for cilantro but I am one of those pesky cilantro haters.

This stew was very easy to prepare and took under an hour. The kitchen smelled amazing with all the different flavors that were going on in the stew. When we were sitting down to eat, the suffering began. And oh did I suffer to get this stew prepared. Remember how I said we had never cooked with hot peppers before? Well, apparently it is wise to wear gloves when they are being chopped. I did not do this. I had heard in passing that it is a good idea but I thought it would only burn a little bit while you were actually chopping the pepper. Oh no. No, no. The burning came after.

And it burned. It was crazy how badly this hurt. I was able to tolerate it for a while after many hand washings and running under cold water. But my hand was still on fire. After about 2 hours - yes, this went on for hours - I was about ready to cut my hand off. M looked up some remedies on the Internet to stop the burning. There were several with milk and tomato juice. So, I dove my hand into a bowl of milk and the burning immediately subsided. But only while in the milk. It began burning again when I took my hand out. So, I kept my hand in a bowl of milk for about 10 minutes. Then I sliced open a tomato and squeezed the juice all over my hand. Didn't work as well as the milk so I stuck my hand back in the bowl. This burning sensation did dissipate a little and I was able to sit down and watch a movie. Finally today, all the burning is gone. So if you make this recipe, please, please, please wear gloves when chopping the hot pepper. I am so thankful I didn't touch my eye. That would have been really bad.

Brazilian Fish Stew
Adapted from 20-40-60 Fresh Food Fast by Emeril Lagasse

2 Pounds flounder, cut into 2 inch pieces (or redfish, red grouper, striped bass, or other white fish)
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 fresh hot or cayenne pepper, chopped (more if you like)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
One 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt
One 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
Chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro if you prefer)
White rice for serving

Place the fish in a glass or other nonreactive bowl and add the lime juice. Set aside to marinate while you continue with the recipe.

Heat a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot, add the onions and hot peppers. Saute until onions are translucent. Add the red pepper and heat for about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and saute for about another 30 seconds.

Add the tomato paste and stir in to melt it down a little. Then add the diced tomatoes, chicken stock and some salt to season. Bring it up to a boil. Season the fish with some more salt and add the fish and lime juice to the pot. Add the coconut milk as well. Stir it all to combine and bring to a boil.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 10 minutes and the fish starts to flake.

Remove the cover and sprinkle the parsley over the stew. Serve with or over white rice.

Note: If you like a little more heat, add some hot sauce to your own bowl especially if you take it easy with the hot peppers. Not everyone likes spice. Shrimp would also be a lovely addition.