In our home, food is a love language, a currency of closeness, a ritual that moves us to surprise and delight our close ones with the gift of pure and simple joy. So last week, to celebrate Arron’s birthday, I spent the morning making a big pot of his absolute favorite home-cooked meal: Caribbean-style Fish Stew.
I love making this dish especially for him, because it’s kind of like a culinary manifestation of our union, with its Miami-meets-Homer flavor profile, a harmonious pairing of Caribbean flavors and wild-caught Alaskan fish. I typically use Pacific Cod when making this stew, but for his birthday I opted for Pacific Halibut for an extra special touch. But no matter what type of fish I use, for Arron, this is the stew that says ‘I love you.’
I bring up love and food because Valentine’s Day is around the corner. I realize that this holiday isn’t everyone’s cup of stew, which can be loaded with expectations, whether you’re with the one you love, content to be solo, mourning the loss of a partner, or longing to find connection (or even reconnection!). Personally, I like to take this holiday with a grain of salt, using the opportunity as a mid-winter reminder to share my appreciation with the people around me, or even to simply show myself a little extra love.
Though I can’t cook each and every one of you a pot of Caribbean Fish Stew — my love language for this amazing fish family is limited to the words in these weekly missives — I’d at least like to share with you the recipe for Caribbean Fish Stew, which is always up on our blog.
Finally, I also think you might appreciate what some members from our What’s Cooking Tonight? Facebook group are doing to celebrate this little holiday: writing love poems to our seafood! The poems are part of a giveaway for a free box of fish that we have running until 13th. To enter the giveaway, you simply need to tap into the poetic depths of your soul to craft a love poem for your favorite species. If you’re not yet part of this group, exclusive to WAC members, you can join here.
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: A bowlful of amour, both complex and comforting, represented by the multitude of layers of flavors and textures that home-made stew can offer, featuring Pacific halibut — the whole thing sealed with a (chef’s) kiss.
