Old Timber Outdoors
More fish recipes

Redfish (red drum) fillets, skinless

Redfish Courtbouillon

A Louisiana-style tomato stew built on a brown roux, with chunks of redfish poached gently at the end and served over rice.

Serves
6
Hands-on
50 min
Total
1 hr 35 min
Skill
Confident cook

Cooks on: Stovetop · Dinner

Ingredients

  • 2 lbRedfish (red drum) fillets, skinless, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • ¼ cupFlour
  • 1Onions, large, diced
  • 4 clovesGarlic, minced
  • 1 28-oz canCanned diced tomatoes
  • 1Lemon, halved
  • 1½ tspSalt, divided, plus more to taste
  • ½ tspBlack pepper, ground
  • ¼ cup neutral oil
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 2 cups fish or vegetable stock
  • 2 tsp Cajun seasoning, divided
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp hot sauce, plus more at the table
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 4 cups cooked long-grain rice, hot

You'll need

  • Stovetop
  • Dutch oven
  • Instant-read thermometer

Contains

Fish, Gluten. Cajun seasoning blends and store-bought stock vary; some stocks contain shellfish. Check the labels.

Method

  1. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir constantly, scraping the corners, until the roux is the color of peanut butter and smells toasty, 15 to 20 minutes. Lower the heat if it starts to smoke or show dark specks.
  2. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery; the roux will stop darkening as they go in. Cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute.
  3. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, the stock, 1 tsp of the Cajun seasoning, the bay leaves and 1 tsp of the salt. Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until it thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 30 minutes. Stir in the 1 tsp hot sauce, then taste and adjust the salt now, before the fish goes in; the sauce should taste well seasoned on its own.
  4. Toss the redfish chunks with the remaining ½ tsp salt, the remaining 1 tsp Cajun seasoning and the pepper. Turn the heat to low so the sauce barely bubbles, nestle the chunks in, and spoon some sauce over them. Cover and cook without stirring until the fish is opaque, flakes easily, and reads 145°F in the thickest chunk, 6 to 10 minutes. Shake the pot gently once or twice rather than stirring.
  5. Remove the bay leaves. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon, scatter the green onions over the top, and serve over the hot rice with hot sauce at the table.

When it's done: 145°F

Federal guidance: 145°F, or until the flesh is no longer translucent and separates easily with a fork.

If it goes wrong

Flat or one-note
It needs salt and acid. Add salt and more lemon a little at a time; Cajun blends differ in salt, so taste before adding more.
Burnt roux (black specks, bitter smell)
Start it over. A burnt roux flavors the whole pot.
Fish breaking into shreds
Cut bigger chunks and shake the pot gently instead of stirring.
Too thick
Thin it with a splash of stock before the fish goes in.

Leftovers. Serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F.