Tomato Butter Bean Cod Stew

It's officially Autumn now and as soon as it strikes I want to pig out of soups and stews. I always find them so warm and cosy and perfect for this time of the year. Usually I eat stews containing meat, but last night I opted to make mine with white fish as thats what we had in the fridge. This is nothing I've ever attempted before, so I was not sure how it would turn out. Eek!

The meal took no longer than 30 minutes to prep and cook and can easily adapted. If you don't have butter beans, you can use another type or don't have a green pepper - use a yellow one! So what you'll actually need for this is...

A fillet of white fish - I used cod

Cherry tomatoes

Butter beans

Green pepper

Olives

Passata

Salt, pepper, smoked paprika for seasoning.

I've given no measurements, as I am the type of cook who likes to wing it and throw in anything that I think will work. Luckily on this occasion it worked! So heres what you need to do...

Grab a big old frying pan and soften your chopped green pepper. Turn the heat down and then throw in passata, rinsed butter beans, the cherry tomatoes and your herbs and spices for seasoning. Let this simmer and give the passata a chance to thicken up. Just remember to stir now and again so it does not stick to the pan.

You can cook your fish any way you like, if you want to oven bake it or fry it in a shallow oil - then its up to you. I cooked mine in tin foil in the oven at the same time I was prepping and cooking the stew.  It was just easier than keeping an eye on two pans at the same time.

Once your fish is cooked you can now add it to the wet dish. Depending on your preference, you can either flake it, cut it into chunks or just lay it on top. Give it all a stir and let it sit for a while so the fish can take on some of the flavours and thats it. You're ready to dive in and enjoy. 

This is nice and healthy and not too stuffing like a classic stew. You'll certainly get your five a day with this dish.

Angela x