Caldo de Peixe - Cape Verde's fish stew

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Cut the fish into chunks (about 2-3 inches wide). Make sure not to discard of the head or tail! After the fish has been cut, soak it in a bowl of cold water, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice for 10 minutes and then rinse the fish off.

Place the fish back in the bowl and season it with crushed garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, annatto, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Use a rubber spatula to gently toss the fish in the seasonings or better yet, brush the seasonings on using a pastry brush on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the fish rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Peel and cut the yuca and green banana into pieces, then and set them aside. Remove the fish from the refrigerator and transfer each piece of fish to a separate platter or bowl. Try to brush the garlic, onions and any excess seasoning into the bowl that you seasoned the fish in. Reserve for the next step.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 16-quart pot and add the reserved onions, garlic, and seasonings from the fish to the pot. You can use a splash of water to loosen the seasonings from the bowl. Cook the onions and garlic for about 1 minute then add the tomato, hot sauce, bouillon cubes, salt and pepper. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes, use wooden spoon to break up the tomato and bouillon cubes.

Add about 5 quarts of cold water, and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Once the water starts to boil, reduce heat to medium/low. Then add the banana, yuca and bay leaves. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes

While the caldo de peixe simmers, peel and cut the potatoes, squash and and yam into pieces. Once the time is up from the previous step, add the remaining vegetables and let the pot continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.

Taste the caldo de peixe, and add more seasoning if needed. Once you're satisfied with the taste, turn the heat off from under the pot and stir in the fresh cilantro leaves.

Let the caldo de peixe rest covered for about 15-30 minutes before serving. The longer the caldo de peixe rests, the more rich and flavorful the broth will be!