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    Home » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Fish Stew with Southern Style

    Published March 12, 2019. Last modified March 23, 2024 By Gary White

    2.8K shares
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    Instant Pot Fish Stew image for Pinterest.

    This warm, rich, and comforting Instant Pot fish stew is everything we love about southern food. And the eggs add a decadent nature that is unmatched.

    Fish stew in brown bowl.

    Most people I know did not grow up eating fish stew... But I did! It was just kinda normal to me, but I'm finding out that it's actually kinda rare. Well, at least this particular style of stew is. My dad is no longer with us, but I'm pretty sure he would approve of this Instant Pot fish stew! It's a warm, rich, and comforting stew. And it's everything we love about southern food. Finally, trust me on this... the eggs add a decadent nature to the stew that is unmatched!

    A few other stew recipes that we love...

    • Instant Pot Chicken Stew
    • Pressure Cooker Oxtail Stew
    • Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

    How to Make Instant Pot Fish Stew

    Uncooked bacon pieces in Instant Pot.
    Using sauté setting - add bacon to pot...
    Bacon pieces frying in Instant Pot.
    ...and cook until almost crispy.
    Tomato paste on top of bacon frying.
    Add tomato paste to pot...
    Tomato paste mixed with bacon pieces.
    ...mix well, and cook for about 1 minute.
    Minced garlic on top of tomato paste and bacon.
    Add garlic and cook for another minute. Then turn off heat.
    Layer of red potatoes.
    Add a layer of potatoes...
    Layer of slice onion rings.
    ...followed by a layer of onions. Season with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
    Layer of fish seasoned with salt.
    Add a layer of fish and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Repeat layers again, ending with a layer of fish on top.
    Layer of fish with seafood stock just barely covering.
    Pour in seafood stock. You want the liquid to just barely touch the bottom of the top layer of fish. So, if need be, add a little water to achieve that. Lock lid and cook for 3 minutes at high pressure.
    Cooked fish stew in Instant Pot.
    Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure. Remove lid and skim as much fat from the top as you like. I think a little fat is good, but you can skim it all off if you like.
    Raw eggs on top of fish stew.
    Switch back to sauté setting. Crack eggs into empty spaces on top. Once all the eggs are in, switch back to "keep warm" setting and place the lid back on pot.
    Poached eggs in top of fish stew in Instant Pot.
    Allow edge to poach in the residual heat. For slightly runny eggs (like I prefer), let them sit for about 7 minutes. But for hard cooked eggs, it'll probably take 15 or so. To serve... Gently scoop out stew, making sure to get all the way to the bottom so that you get some bacon! Top each bowl with an egg or two.

    And this is the AMAZING result…

    Fish stew in brown bowl.

    ★ Did you make this Instant Pot Fish Stew?

    Please give it a star rating below! ★

    Fish stew in brown bowl.

    Instant Pot Fish Stew

    This warm, rich, and comforting stew is everything we love about southern food. And the eggs add a decadent nature to the stew that is unmatched.
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Seafood
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 332kcal
    Author: Gary White

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz. bacon thick cut, cut into 1-inch pieces
    • 6 oz. tomato paste
    • 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
    • 2 lbs. red potatoes cut into ¼-inch slices
    • 1 lb. yellow onions cut into ¼-inch slices
    • 1 ½ tsp. sea salt divided
    • 2 lbs. fish your choice
    • 4 cups seafood stock
    • 6 eggs the highest quality you find

    Instructions

    • Using sauté setting – add bacon to pot and cook until almost crispy. Add tomato paste to pot, mix well, and cook for about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Then turn off heat.
    • Add a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of onions. Season with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Add a layer of fish and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Repeat layers again, ending with a layer of fish on top.
    • Pour in seafood stock. You want the liquid to just barely touch the bottom of the top layer of fish. So, if need be, add a little water to achieve that. Lock lid and cook for 3 minutes at high pressure.
    • Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure. Remove lid and skim as much fat from the top as you like. I think a little fat is good, but you can skim it all off if you like.
    • Switch back to sauté setting. Crack eggs into empty spaces on top. Once all the eggs are in, switch back to “keep warm” setting and place the lid back on pot.
    • Allow edge to poach in the residual heat. For slightly runny eggs (like I prefer), let them sit for about 7 minutes. But for hard cooked eggs, it’ll probably take 15 or so. To serve… Gently scoop out stew, making sure to get all the way to the bottom so that you get some bacon! Top each bowl with an egg or two.

    Notes

    Adapted from Vivian Howard's Eastern North Carolina Fish Stew Recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 793mg | Potassium: 1096mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 15.3mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 2.6mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen

      March 13, 2019 at 1:13 pm

      I can't wait to make this! I'm embarrassed to ask, but where is fish stock in the grocery store, or do I need to make my own? I have seen fish stock CUBES (I think by Knor). Have you used those/would that work?

      Reply
      • Gary

        March 13, 2019 at 1:17 pm

        Seafood stock (not necessarily fish stock) with be right next to the chicken stock. I like the Swanson brand.

        Reply
    2. Paula

      March 29, 2019 at 2:41 pm

      5 stars
      This sounds SO good! Since it will be just for me, can I reduce recipe to half? Still use the same cooking time? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Gary

        April 01, 2019 at 11:24 am

        Yes, cook time should remain the same with halving the recipe. Hope you like it!

        Reply
    3. Ginny Beall

      July 23, 2019 at 7:25 pm

      5 stars
      My family enjoyed this meal! It was my 3rd meal in my new instant pot.

      Reply
    4. RichV

      August 18, 2019 at 4:24 pm

      5 stars
      Made it yesterday. Wonderful flavor and texture. Might be my 8qt IP; but I got the burnt message - even after deglazing with a small bit of white wine. Removed Tilapia and potatoes, scraped bottom, restarted, finished. Great meal with hard roll.

      Reply
    5. Linda Melenko

      January 30, 2020 at 8:35 pm

      Instead of fish, could shrimp, muscles and clams be used? What adjustments would be necessary?

      Reply
      • Gary White

        February 02, 2020 at 1:32 pm

        I have not tested this recipe with other kinds of seafood, so I'm unable to say how it would work. You may have better luck looking up a recipe with shrimp, muscles and clams on Google. I believe some Brazilian fish stews incorporate other types of seafood.

        Reply
    6. Darlene

      February 21, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      5 stars
      My, oh my, this stew is delicious. I had to use chicken broth and it was probably as good as if I had used seafood broth. I used white fish, shrimp and scallops. I will be making this whenever I get a hankering for another bowl of this. Thank you for this really good recipe. I did deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup of the broth before adding my other ingredients. I had no problem with burning.

      Reply
    7. PeterF

      May 24, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      For sauteing, could I substitute Olive Oil for Bacon?

      Reply
      • Gary White

        May 25, 2020 at 8:00 am

        We haven't tested it without the bacon. You could certainly try it, but it will not taste the same as the original recipe.

        Reply
    8. Meredith

      March 15, 2021 at 8:18 pm

      5 stars
      I made this tonight with a few adjustments. I used haddock and cut it into bite-sized pieces, I used sweet potatoes instead of regular and I used more bacon simply because I had extra and I felt like it just made more sense to just throw it all in. I also used more garlic just because I use more garlic in everything. It was delicious!! My 9-year old wasn't a fan but that’s par for the course but my 14-year old had multiple helpings. My husband and I did as well. We had it with cornbread. I will definitely make this again, thank you very much!!

      Reply
    9. Randi

      March 16, 2021 at 9:51 pm

      5 stars
      This is soooooooooo delicious! Seriously, I can’t get over how good, and easy, this recipe is. We have a freezer full of fish year round so I am so happy to have an additional fish recipe besides just fried fish. I made this for the second time tonight with a combo of freshwater drum, crappie and yellow catfish. I follow the recipe exactly and to my individual bowl I sprinkle a small amount of Tony’s Cajun seasoning and some red pepper flakes. Oh and the poached eggs on top...so divine! Thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe.

      Reply
    10. Leslie Gilmore

      January 31, 2022 at 11:40 am

      How many cups are in one serving? I'm inputting this recipe into my app where I keep up with my daily nutrition. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Gary White

        February 14, 2022 at 9:03 am

        About one cup, maybe a little more. This recipe almost fills a 6-quart pot to the top.

        Reply
    11. Rachel Cheslik

      December 04, 2022 at 7:15 pm

      Could I use catfish for this recipe? My neighbor gave me a bunch of catfish and I am looking for alternatives to frying. 🙂 Wondering if the flavor profile of catfish would work ok for this recipe?

      Reply
      • Gary White

        January 11, 2023 at 8:45 am

        Catfish is very tricky. I prefer it fried or blackened. I haven't found any other way that I would recommend.

        Reply
    12. Frances

      March 11, 2023 at 8:17 am

      Could I make this in crockpot or in stocks pot on the stove?

      Reply
      • Gary White

        March 16, 2023 at 8:26 am

        It will definitely work on the stovetop, not sure about the crock pot.

        Reply
    5 from 13 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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