Fish Muddle
- ½ pound bacon, chopped
- 1½ cups diced celery
- 1½ cups diced carrot
- 4 cups diced yellow onion
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups seafood stock
- 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 2 pounds baby red potatoes, quartered
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 pounds skinless grouper fillets, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- Hard-cooked eggs and sandwich bread, to serve
- Garnish: fresh thyme
- In a 6-quart cast-iron Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon using a slotted spoon, and let drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in pot.
- Add celery, carrot, onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in stock, tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Stir in potatoes, hot sauce, remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper; cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 25 minutes. Gently stir in fish; cook until fish flakes, about 8 minutes.
- Discard thyme and bay leaves; stir in bacon. Serve with eggs and bread. Garnish with thyme, if desired.
Recipe by Southern Cast Iron at https://southerncastiron.com/fish-muddle/
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