Halibut Stew With Seafood From Haida Gwaii

• 2 medium potatoes cubed

• ¼ cup chopped white onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• ½ cup mushrooms (chanterelles, oysters, or morels if they are in season)

• 2 large halibut filets (can substitute with any large flaked white fish).

• 6 to 8 medium prawns

• ½ of a crab

• Small handful of fresh parsley

• 2 cups chicken or fish stock

• ½ cup canned mushroom soup

• Oil for frying

• 1 T. butter

• 2 tsp. Smoked Applewood seasoning

• Salt & pepper to taste

1. If using chanterelles or oyster mushroom tear them by hand into bite sized chunks and fry with onions, potatoes and garlic in heated pot with some oil and the butter.
2. Add salt & pepper and stir to prevent sticking until the onions are translucent and potatoes are starting to brown.
3. Add stock and allow stew to slow boil until the spuds are almost cooked. 
4.  Cut one the halibut filets into spoon sized cubes and add to the stew along with the crab.
5. Meanwhile, season the other halibut filet and fry in a small skillet until it is cooked to your desire. This will be the topper for the stew. Set aside.
6.  Add mushroom soup while stirring the stew to prevent lumping.
7. Add prawns and some chopped parsley and remove pot from stove as soon as prawns have changed colour to prevent overcooking. 
8. Ladle stew into a serving bowl and top with the pan-fried halibut filet which should be golden brown.
9. Top with a bit of fresh parsley and serve with bannock or bread of your choice.

Note: If you can smoke your halibut chunks even slightly it greatly enhances the flavour of this stew. Sometimes if there is no time to smoke the fish, I cheat by adding smoke flavored seasonings and/or a bit of liquid smoke to the stew.