Mum’s Fish Rice

Hello again!

This time I have for you a delicious fish recipe! This is actually my mum’s recipe. After many years looking for the best one, I’ve come to the conclusion that hers is actually the very best! (Thanks Mum!)

So although this recipe is not exactly complicated, it’s not something I would recommend if you’re not yet familiar with basic cooking techniques, or if you’re not used to cooking without exact measurements. I’m very guilty of posting recipes with no specific measurements because I tend to freestyle a bit when it comes to cooking – I’m very by-the-book when it comes to baking, though! But if you know your way around the kitchen, and like to improvise – this is a good one!

Ingredients:

• Fish – we usually go for a different fish back in Portugal (I think it’s called monkfish?), but here in the UK I stick to white fish
• Rice – I typically use basmati as an all-rounder, but use whichever one you prefer!
• Sweet pepper – red and yellow are best, but a bit of the green one gives it a nice colour as well!
• Chopped tomatoes
• Onion
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Fish stock cube
• Salt & Pepper
• Bay leaves
• Fresh coriander
• Optional: tomato paste & chilli puree

Method:

• In a large pot, boil the fish with the fish stock cube and LOTS of water. You’ll need it later. Season the boiling water with salt to taste.
• Chop your sweet peppers, onion and garlic.
• In another pot, heat up some olive oil, and add the chopped peppers, onion, garlic, the chopped tomatoes and 1 or 2 bay leaves. Let it saute for a bit, ensuring that it doesn’t burn.
• Next, add the tomato paste and the chilli puree. Mix everything well, and saute again for a few more minutes.
• Add your rice, keeping in mind this measurement: 1 measurement of rice – 2.5 or 3 measurements of water. So for 3 measurements of rice, around 7.5 – 9 measurements of water.
• Stir the rice into the pepper and tomato “sauce” until it becomes translucent, and be careful not to let it burn! I’ve done this so many times!
• When the rice is translucent, add from the water in which you boiled the fish, with the measurements in the previous step. Mix well.
• For this recipe, you’ll want your rice not fully cooked through. So when it feels like it’s almost done, take it out of the heat and let it sit.
• Add the cooked fish.
• Let everything sit for a few minutes, give it time to get together.
• Sprinkle with fresh coriander on top and serve!

Here’s my fish rice:

This is a dish that’s very well-known and loved back in Portugal. Usually, most of the people I’ve met so far has the notion that it’s much harder to make than it actually is. I thought so too, to be honest. But after trying this recipe, it really isn’t! You just need to be comfortable in the kitchen and with the cooking process.

I hope you like this recipe. Please let me know in the comments if you’ve tried it, what you thought, and maybe even send a picture of your fish rice!

Happy cooking!