Make a tomato-based Québec fish and vegetable stew with potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas and creamed corn. This home-style adaptation takes about an hour and makes eight hearty bowls.
Gibelotte in the Sorel-Tracy tradition is a vegetable-rich fish soup or stew, and family versions vary. This version uses a tomato-and-stock broth and boneless firm white fish added near the end so it stays tender. Serve it hot in deep bowls with bread.
Step 1Chop the onion, dice the celery, slice the carrots, cube the potatoes and cut the green beans as listed. Cut the fish into 3 cm pieces, keep it refrigerated, and use a separate board and knife or wash them thoroughly after handling raw fish.
Step 2Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until softened but not browned.
Step 3Stir in the carrots, potatoes, green beans, fish stock, crushed tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are nearly tender.
Step 4Stir in the creamed corn and peas. Return the stew to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
Step 5Arrange the fish pieces in the pot, cover and simmer gently for 5–8 minutes. Check the thickest pieces with a food thermometer and cook until they reach 70°C, turn opaque and flake easily. Avoid a hard boil or rough stirring.
Step 6Remove the bay leaves. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning only if needed, since stock salt levels vary. Ladle the fish and vegetables into warm bowls with broth.
Keep raw fish cold and separate from ready-to-eat foods. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, use within 2–4 days and reheat to at least 74°C, stirring until steaming throughout.
The potatoes are still firm. Simmer the vegetable base for another 5 minutes before adding the fish; check a potato cube with a fork.
The broth tastes too sharp. Stir in a little more creamed corn or a splash of stock, then taste again. Avoid boiling hard after adding fish.
Rounded estimate per one-eighth of the pot, using Atlantic cod as a lean white-fish proxy. Stock, creamed corn and fish vary by product and species; sodium is especially approximate. Values are not a laboratory analysis or product-label claim.
This recipe contains fish and butter (milk). Check the labels on stock, creamed corn and tomatoes for additional ingredients or cross-contact. Keep raw fish refrigerated and separate from ready-to-eat foods; wash hands, utensils and surfaces after contact. Cook the thickest fish pieces to at least 70°C, checking with a digital thermometer. Flaking is a helpful doneness cue but does not replace the temperature check. If using sport-caught freshwater fish, follow the Government of Québec consumption guide for that species, fish size and catch location. Cool leftovers in shallow containers, refrigerate within 2 hours, use within 2–4 days and reheat to 74°C, stirring until steaming throughout.
