A hearty, yet refreshing winter stew, fresh from the Jersey Shore!

If you know me, you know that I am a huge fan and supporter of Fishadelphia!!  What is Fishadelphia, you might ask?  So you’ve heard of CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture), right?  Where people subscribe to the seasonal food from a farm or farm group.  This food is usually produce, but also sometimes includes add-ons like eggs, milk, meats, honey, coffee, etc.

Well, Fishadelphia is a CSF, a Community-Supported Fishery- essentially a seafood subscription program selling fresh, locally-sourced seafood from the Jersey shore.  Fishadelphia’s business model uses systems of mutual aid to increase food security.  And just in case you’re curious about what exactly that means, here are some definitions:

•  Mutual aid is an exchange of resources through community cooperation in order to create networks of care and combat societal systems of inequality. 

•  Food security is achieved when nutritious, affordable food is reliably available and accessible to all people.

 Isn’t that the kind of world you want to live in?

 That all sounds wonderful, but how do they do this magic? You can read all the details on the Fishadelphia website, but in short, they do the following:

• They run a Youth Program that teaches business and technology skills to middle and high school students

• They offer sliding scale prices guided by your income

• They provide a flexible payment schedule and methods

• They host multiple communication channels in several languages

• They facilitate local neighborhood pick-up

And if all of these things don’t convince you, listen to this- Fishadelphia held a survey last year and asked their customers what they wanted to see change.  The people spoke and asked for lower pricing.  Fishadelphia heard this feedback and was able to deliver lower pricing!  Not only is this a rare occurrence for a business, but I think this truly demonstrates the care that Fishadelphia has for the community they serve.  Not only do they have a mission that is people-centered but they make decisions that support that mission.

And one more thing before I get off my soapbox, if it is your goal to support small, local businesses and give less of your money to giant corporations, becoming a member of Fishadelphia would be a great place to start!

Okay, now onto a simple, hearty, yet refreshing fish stew.  Check out the recipe below: 

Lemon and Turmeric Skate Fish Stew

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 6 cloves garlic

• 1 white or yellow onion, diced

• 4 carrots, cut into small cubes

• 4 stalks celery, cut into small cubes

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes

• 6 cups broth (vegetable, chicken, or fish)

• 1 pound skate fish, cut into 1” pieces (substitute any other white fish)        

• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 Tbsp turmeric

• ½ tsp nutmeg, ground

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Juice of two lemons

• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Method

Step 1: Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. 

Step 2: Sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and celery until soft (about 3 minutes). 

Step 3: Stir in potatoes. Cook on medium heat for 1 minute.

Step 4: Add broth and bring to a boil. 

Step 5: Add fish, smoked paprika, turmeric, and nutmeg. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are soft (about 15-20 minutes). Fish will flake into small pieces.

Step 6: Finish with salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley, and serve.