Junon Fish Stew

Junon“Ever since… Shinra built that city up above during the war, …ugh, ugh. There’s been no fish in the water!”

—FFVII

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion or 2 small onions, peeled and diced (about 1½ cups)
  • 3 large carrots or 6 medium carrots, scrubbed and chopped (about 1½ cups)
  • 1 cup chopped celery stalks (about 4 stalks)
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 head of garlic (about 8-12 cloves), peeled and halved
  • About ½ bottle of white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc (1½ cups)
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 14-oz. cans of diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 16 oz. skinless boneless white fish, such as cod, cut into large pieces
  • 16 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 16-oz. bag of frozen mixed seafood (shrimp, scallops, and calamari rings)
  • ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup)
  • Sourdough baguette (optional)

Remove the seafood from the freezer to thaw. Heat butter and oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes, covered. Stir frequently and reduce heat if the onions are browning too quickly. Add carrots, celery, red pepper flakes, and garlic, and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add wine, broth, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add fish and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in shrimp and mixed seafood and continue simmering for an additional 5 minutes, until shrimp is opaque and fish flakes easily.

Remove from heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice. Serve with warm sourdough bread for soaking up the broth.

Makes about 9 heaping 1-cup servings. Per serving: 226 calories, 6.9 g. fat, 2 g. saturated fat, 0.5 g. poly. fat, 2.8 g. mono. fat, 165.1 mg. cholesterol, 699.6 mg. sodium (this will be less if you use homemade broth instead of storebought), 169.3 mg. potassium, 12.5 g. carbohydrates, 2.5 g. fiber, 27.1 g. protein, vitamin A 37%, vitamin C 27%, calcium 8%, iron 11%