How to Cook Fresh Red Bream Stew

Red Bream Stew is a savory and mildly sweet Caribbean and African dish made of fresh red bream and rich pepper sauce. It’s a healthy way of eating fish because you don’t need to fry it. 

You just stir the ingredients in a pot, and once ready, you’ll have one of the best dishes to serve to your guests!

After trying this stew, you will love cooking with red bream stew. You’ll surely add this to your favorite soups and stews. Indeed, this one-pot dish is worth it!

How to Make Red Bream Stew

If you’re not used to cooking fish recipes, then this beginner-friendly dish is the perfect way to start. All it takes is a bit of marinating and stewing to make a comforting Red Bream Stew! 

Ingredients

Remember these ingredients when you want to try Red Bream Stew:

Red bream fish

What makes red bream fish special? It’s a mildly sweet, firm, and flaky fish with an appetizing color! You can grill, roast, steam, poach, or stew this fish to bring out its amazing flavor and texture.

According to Fresh Fish Daily, red bream fish is healthy because it’s low in calories yet high in vitamins. It is also known to boost immunity and prevent heart problems and cancer. 

You can serve it with flavorful dishes from Caribbean, Mediterranean, African, or Asian cuisines! Red bream can also be paired with vegetables and creamy sauces for a sumptuous meal. 

Pepper sauce 

Make pepper sauce like a pro by combining the goodness of red bell peppers, scotch bonnets, tomatoes, and onion. The sweet, spicy, and pungent flavors will also coat the fish perfectly for a good quality stew.

Moreover, homemade pepper sauce that is fruit based is good for your heart, brain, immunity, and gut. You can also season it with your favorite herbs and spices for better flavor!

This is my go-to sauce for Smoked Mackerel Stew, Jollof Rice, and Egusi Soup. 

Lemon

You will need freshly squeezed lemon juice to marinate the red bream fish. It also lessens the fishy taste and smell of the dish to infuse it with the flavor of the pepper sauce. 

Mixed herbs

Mixed herbs add a rich and tasteful quality to the stew. It also combines the best herbs to make any dish fragrant and appetizing. 

Curry powder

Add a unique flavor to the Red Bream Stew by adding curry powder. This spice gives the dish a spicy and robust taste at every bite.

Stock cubes

Knorr stock cubes or all-purpose seasoning are best added to stews because of the rich flavor they give to the sauce and fish. Use fish stock cubes to refine the taste of the red bream fish.

Sea salt

A little bit of sea salt can go a long way. It also goes well with any seasoning, sauce, and meat. Depending on how you want to balance the flavors, you can add more.

Sunflower oil

Cook the sauce and fish in sunflower oil. Its high smoke point makes it perfect for slow-cooked dishes like this stew. 

Can you believe these are all you need to make Red Bream Stew? It may not have lots of toppings, but it is certainly bursting with flavor! 

Directions

Put on your apron, and start cooking this amazing Red Bream Stew.

Marinate the fish

1. Clean and rinse the fresh red bream fish in cold water. 
2. Place the fish in a bowl of cold water.
3. Then, season it with salt and lemon juice. 
4. Let it marinate for at least 2 hours.

Cook the Red Bream Stew

1. Heat oil in a pot.
2. Pour in the pepper sauce.
3. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Season it with curry powder, mixed herbs, sea salt, and stock cubes.
5. Then, cook it for ten more minutes.
6. Taste and season as needed. 
7. Reduce the fire to low heat and cook for five more minutes.
8. Add the seasoned fish to the stew.
9. Cover the fish with the sauce using a spoon.
10. Cook it for five more minutes.
11. Serve with your favorite side dishes! 

How much did you love your first taste of Red Bream Stew? It’s truly one of the best dishes to cook when you’re craving fish!

Tips

Buying fish

• Fish For Thought suggests buying fish with clear and bright eyes.
• Check if the gills are red.
• Ensure that the scales are attached to the fish.
• The skin should also feel slippery and moist.
• The fish’s tail and flesh should feel firm.

Storing fish

1. Rinse and dry the fish. 
2. Then, wrap it in cling film.
3. Put the fish in a resealable bag or freezer bag.
4. Refrigerate it for two days or freeze it for three months.

Making pepper sauce

Tomatoes, scotch bonnet, red bell peppers, and a small onion are all that you need to make tasty and healthy pepper sauce! Here’s how you can turn them into a sauce:

1. Deseed and chop the tomatoes, scotch bonnet, and red bell peppers using a knife. 
2. Then, peel and slice the onion. 
3. Blend them in a blender until smooth. 
4. Store it in a container for future use.

Red Bream Stew Variations

The best thing about stew recipes like this Red Bream Stew is that you can prepare them differently. For instance, you can use other fish instead of red bream fish. You may use croaker, tilapia, salmon, halibut, sea bass, cod, and more!

Furthermore, you can add vegetables like potatoes, carrots, olives, squash, and other ingredients for stewing. Meanwhile, try adding paprika, all-purpose seasoning, or chili flakes!

Recommended Tools

• Pot: Cook the Red Bream Stew in a pot.
• Spoon: Stir the stew using a spoon.
• Bowl: Marinate the fish in a bowl.

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How to Serve Red Bream Stew

Serving Red Bream Stew can be exciting every time because of the different side dishes you can pair it with. It’s perfect for lunch and dinner with any of the following dishes:

• Jollof Rice
• No-Oven Bread
• Amala Fele Fele
• Oatmeal Fufu
• Fried Yam

Meanwhile, here are the best drinks and juices you can enjoy with this stew:

• Orange Juice
• Zobo Drink
• Turmeric Tea
• Pineapple Juice

Storage Tips

• At room temperature: Eat the Red Bream Stew for the best flavors and texture within two hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is red bream fish healthy?

Red bream fish is certainly healthy! It has vitamins and minerals to nourish your heart and brain. This dish also boosts your immunity to keep you active and well. 

What does red bream taste like?

Red bream has a mildly sweet flavor that you can improve with herbs and spices. Its flavor also depends on how you cook it. Red bream can taste spicy, savory, sweet, or even sour! 

Is sea bream pink when cooked?

Sea bream is light and pink when raw and becomes white once cooked. Remember to check the color of the fish whenever you’re buying sea bream. 

What is red bream fish?

Red bream fish is a seafood with mild sweetness and a firm texture. You can grill, roast, steam, poach, or stew this fish with your favorite herbs and spices!