Think, Eat, Be Healthy

Grouper Cheeks Stew Recipe

grouper cheeks stew

Grouper cheeks stew is absolutely delicious fish stew that costs less than half as much as using grouper fillets.

About grouper cheeks stew recipe

There are a lot of things to like about this grouper cheeks stew recipe. Stews and soups are both filling and fortifying, providing a wide range of whole foods in one bowl. Grouper is a common local fish in the part of Florida where I live, maximizing freshness and minimizing transportation. Stews are economical, getting lots of flavor from small amounts of ingredients. Grouper cheeks stew is easily modified to use whatever is at hand in the refrigerator or in the backyard garden, reducing waste and cost. And it is an easy to prepare one-pot meal, saving time on cooking and on clean-up. This recipe will fit into any healthy whole food diet.

Ingredients for grouper cheeks stew

chopped vegetables for grouper cheeks stew recipe

The hard vegetables for grouper cheeks stew include carrot, parsnip, celery, golden beet, crimini mushroom, fennel and bell pepper.

1 small carrot, 1/2″ diced                                                            1 small parsnip, 1/2″ diced

1 stalk celery, 1/2″ diced                                                             red, yellow and/or green bell pepper, 1/2″ diced

1 small golden beet, 1/2″ diced                                                   6 small crimini mushrooms, quartered

1 stalk fennel(not the bulb), 1/2″ sliced                                     2 cups coarse chopped green of choice

3/4 pound grouper cheeks, 3/4″ pieces                                     2 tablespoons grass-fed butter

1 large tomato, 3/4″ diced                                                            fresh parsley and cilantro leaves, about 3 tablespoons each

1 cup stock of choice                                                                       Juice of 1 lemon

sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes to taste

fresh parsley and cilantro

I like to simply pick the whole parsley and cilantro leaves from the stems instead of chopping them.

fresh greens

This is a mix of kale, collards, chard and bok choy just picked from the backyard garden.

Making the grouper cheeks stew

1. Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat.

2. Add the diced hard vegetables, salt lightly and stir often until the carrot and beet just start to soften.

3. Add the coarsely chopped greens to the pot, reduce the heat slightly and stir often until well wilted.

4. Add the diced tomato, parsley and cilantro leaves, lemon juice and stock to the pot, mix well and allow to reach a simmer.

5. Add the cut grouper cheeks to the pot, stir in well and simmer until cooked through. Season to taste with additional salt and crushed red pepper flakes.

6. Remove from heat and serve. This recipe will serve 3-4 people as an entree.

grouper cheeks

Fresh grouper cheeks have all the flavor of fillets at half the price.

Notes on grouper cheeks stew

This grouper cheeks stew recipe is easily modified to use whatever is in your refrigerator. I used the last little bit of green, red and yellow bell peppers that probably were not going to last another day. I used a bit of stock from braised pork hocks rather than freezing it. The greens in my backyard garden are growing like crazy right now and needed to be picked, so a little of everything went into this stew.

Potatoes make a nice addition to any stew when available. Any type of seaweed goes well with fish. Onion and/or garlic can also be used. Try other varieties of fresh or dried mushrooms, too.

Grains and legumes can also be added to stews. Both provide a thickening effect, lots of fiber and extra nutrients. Try brown rice, hulled barley, millet, wheat berries or quinoa for whole grains. Black eyed peas, navy beans, Roman beans and garbanzos are my favorite dried legumes for soups and stews.

If grouper cheeks are not available, substitute another firm, white fish. In the Tampa Bay area, amberjack and corvina both work well. Halibut is probably more readily available in the more northern parts of the country. Shark is another possibility.