Instant Pot Fish Stew with Southern Style
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…
The Process
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 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Add a layer of fish and season with 1/4 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.
And this is the AMAZING result…
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Instant Pot Fish Stew
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 1/4-inch slices
- 1 lb. yellow onions cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 1/2 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 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add a layer of fish and season with 1/4 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
Nutrition
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?
Seafood stock (not necessarily fish stock) with be right next to the chicken stock. I like the Swanson brand.
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!
Yes, cook time should remain the same with halving the recipe. Hope you like it!
My family enjoyed this meal! It was my 3rd meal in my new instant pot.
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.
Instead of fish, could shrimp, muscles and clams be used? What adjustments would be necessary?
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.
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.
For sauteing, could I substitute Olive Oil for Bacon?
We haven’t tested it without the bacon. You could certainly try it, but it will not taste the same as the original recipe.
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!!
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.