Fab Fish Stew and Chocolate Tart

Another beautiful day here in Sunderland and on the menu tonight and continuing with the project was Fabulous Fish Stew. I went to my trusty fishmonger this morning and got all the ingredients needed for the stew. I bought mussels, clams, filleted bream, red snapper, cod and a couple of tiger prawns. Not a cheap recipe if I have to be honest.

Anyway, onto the recipe, I started by simmering chopped tomatoes, garlic, white wine and basil stalks. And nothing beats the smell coming out from this combination. heaven.

I then added all the fish and shellfish in one layer, making sure they are all coated in the lovely tomatoey broth. It would help to have a big shallow pan to do this. Put the lid on and let the stew cook gently for 10 minutes or until all the clams and mussels have opened and the fish fillets and tiger prawns are cooked through. Remember to discard any clams and mussels that don't open.


The fish stew was fabulous, hence the name, if I must say. I think my dad would love this stew. I'll definitely cook this for him.

The fish stew is best served with saffron aioli. But can you guess the one crucial ingredient I couldn't find anywhere today? yes, it was saffron. I went to three different supermarkets and they were all out of stock. I wonder what people are cooking this summer.

Instead, I made garlic aioli and that's basically mayonnaise mixed with finely grated garlic, lemon and a little salt.

And not to forget, crusty bread to soak all of the broth.

For something sweet I made fifteen chocolate tart, also a recipe from the book. I attempted to make this weeks ago and failed and it's been haunting me as my first attempt to make chocolate pastry was a disaster. To cut long story short, the pastry ended up in the bin and I was left frustrated.

I told myself that I'm gonna try it again today and hope for the best.

And I think I have conquered the recipe! YES!!!! The tart turned out beautifully (a little rough around the edges but I could live with that).


I was so so pleased with the tart and I don't know where to start to describe how delicious this tart is. One of my favourite food combination is chocolate and orange and these flavours really come through in the pastry.

Crumbly chocolate and orange pastry with silky smooth chocolate filling

Have a great weekend.