This simple but super-tasty Eastern North Carolina Fish Stew has EVERYTHING – tender fish fillet, crispy bacon, hearty broth, and – BONUS! -an egg on top!
We all “pay our dues” in life. You know, the monetary dues to get into a club. Or the hours we practice to hone our craft. Or that first job designed to get to the one we really want. And, truth be told, dues are necessary. Because they teach us both the knowledge and skills we need to get to where we want to be. And this gives us the credibility we all mistakenly think wish we had at the start of our journey. Once, I paid my dues in North Carolina, where I worked as a Medical Sales Rep. Definitely not bad gig. But at that time in my life, I would say I was pretty high on the Introvert scale. (As opposed to now – I call myself a “closet Extrovert”, someone who is extroverted inside, and really wants to be that way. But for whatever reason, just cannot.)
So, here’s what happened when I would cold call an office for the first time. More often than not, my “Good Morning” was most often greeted with “You’re not from here!” Why, yes, that’s correct. I’m from Indiana. Could I please see Dr. Smith? After a time, I got beyond wanting to just run out of the office. And I would just sit and wait to see Dr. Smith. If only I’d had some of this Eastern North Carolina Fish Stew in my hands. Because, just the aroma wafting out of the dish would cause them to not even hear my Midwestern accent.
This easy North Carolina Fish Stew contains all the goodness I found in North Carolina. Wonderful seafood, crispy pork, and friendly, warm comfort of a tasty, rich, and hearty broth. All that and a fresh egg on top! It’s a classic dish from the Eastern part of the state. And it is thought to be a way to use the catch of the day, most often a white fish. When combined with ingredients always on hand, it creates something truly special.
Various incarnations of the recipe involve layering all of the ingredients, then boiling it for a bit (45-60 minutes) and serving. But if you were to Google “North Carolina Fish Stew”, you would see the main ingredients are always the same. Only the preparation varies a bit. Ultimately, I went with the variation developed by Cook’s Country, and included some extra spice from a couple of other recipes I found.
In the end, this Eastern North Carolina Fish Stew recipe produced 8 hearty servings of delicious stew in just under an hour (much of that time simmering). And, with just a few ingredients. Just one taste and you’ll know, you’ve paid your dues and moved on to right where you want to be – eating this comforting stew!
Enjoy!
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North Carolina Fish Stew
From Eastern North Carolina, this recipe is an heirloom and a classic! From Cook’s Country, this recipe naturally it contains the two food groups North Carolina is famous for: seafood and pork. Together, in this soup, they are magical!
So easy to put together, just an hour to make and you have super-flavorful soup with white fish, potatoes, and bacon, all swimming in the most delicious tomato broth, all with a lovely poached egg on top!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 45 min
- Total Time: 55 min
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Stews and Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. (6 strips) Thick-Cut Bacon
- 2 Medium or 1 Large Yellow Onion, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/4” half-moons
- 6 cups Water + More, as desired
- 6 oz. Tomato Paste
- 1 t Red Pepper Flake
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 1/2 lb Red Potatoes, sliced 1/4” thick
- 1 1/2 lb Thick Cut white fish fillet – cod works well
- 8 eggs
- (optional) 1-2 tsp Hot Sauce, such as Frank’s or Crystal
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Heat a heavy soup pot over Medium heat. Cut the bacon strips into 1” sections, and place in the pot to render the fat. Allow the bacon to crisp. Remove from the pan, leaving the fat.
- Add the onion slices to the pan and cook about 8 minutes until they are translucent and tender and just beginning to brown.
- To the onions, add 1-2 teaspoons salt, 1 tsp black pepper, the red pepper flake and the 6 cups water. Stir in the Tomato paste. Add the sliced potatoes, and turn heat up to Medium-High. When the soup begins to simmer, wait 10 minutes.
- While simmering, cut the fish fillet into large (2”x2”x2”) chunks. They should be big and thick. After the 10 minutes has passed, add the fish to the soup. Then, cracking the eggs, add 1 at a time to the soup. Cover for 15 minutes. This should be enough time to cook the fish and poach the eggs.
- Test and adjust flavor by adding salt, pepper and hot sauce, as desired. Garnish with reserved bacon.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/7 Recipe
Keywords: North Carolina Fish Stew, Eastern North Carolina Fish stew, easy fish stew, easy fish soup, old fashioned Eastern North Carolina fish stew
laura – i cannot tell you how much i LOVE this recipe – the second i saw it, i thought i MUST make this! could not have been easier & the flavor is out of this world! i cook just for my husband & myself but not any of those ‘just for two’ recipes – we LOVE lefties! this was our third meal of it & i’m already planning when i can make it again lol!
btw…the bacon…i just left it in while cooking the onions – a good oops i guess 🙂
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Rose, thank you so so much! I’m glad you love this as much as we do! I agree, leftovers of awesome homemade food are wonderful! And brilliant to leave the bacon in, I imagine it might infuse the bacon flavor into the onions, and that’s only goodness! 😉☺️😋
Midwestern walleye worked great. Skinless boneless and blood line removed. Holy water awesomeness. No just seafood northern pike, walleye and any fresh water white.fleshed fish.
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Robert – awesome! Thanks for the feedback! So good to know the variety of fish could be used! Thanks so much!
What happens to the bacon after you take it out of the Grease a lot of steps missed
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Mike, I used the grease from the bacon to cook the onions. It was only about 1-2 Tablespoons from the 6 strips. I mention this in Step 1-2 of the recipe. So I did not dis arc the little fat from the pot. I just used it in the stew since it wasn’t much. And then, I garnished the soup with the bacon pieces at the end. Thanks for noticing I didn’t include that instruction. I have now added it. Thanks for the question!
What a huge bowl full of delicious flavour! This sounds so good and I love the vibrant colour of the stew too.
Thanks so much Caroline! It is an awesome stew! Thanks for visiting me!
Laura, as a Midwesterner, it’s funny to think that we have an accent. It just seems normal. 🙂 It must be there though. When I was living overseas and I’d hear a Midwesterner talking in the market, (I’d know because his “accent” was perfectly normal to me) I’d break out in tears from homesickness. Food is the universal language, though, and your North Carolina fish stew looks so delicious and so full of flavor!
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Ha! Kelly, like you, I don’t think Midwesterners have an accent. But then I listen to my friends from Chicago. They certainly have an accent. And Wisconsin? Minnesota? Yes indeed, all accent. Michigan? Yes of course. Crazy, I think i sound like all the people on TV with no accents. But I guess I must have something of an accent. I get it how you can identify people from the geography you are from by their accent. I imagine this is why some languages are notoriously difficult to learn. But food? Always a great language, accent or no! Thanks for visiting!
Your fish stew sounds so flavorful and very different with the eggs in it. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Karen! It was actually the egg on top that made me decide to make this again. I love anything with an egg on top! Thanks for visiting!
Lol…’closet’ extrovert’. Good one! This fish stew would make anyone happy and speak to ya! Love all the flavours and the it just looks and sounds so dang comforting! Big bowl with a hunk of crusty bread and I’m one happy lady for sure 🙂
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Dawn – you and I are on the same page here – it’s awesome with some crusty bread! And it is one heckuva comforting stew! Thanks for visiting!
I’m so looking forward for Autumn to finally arrive and for soup weather! This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Dani, thanks so much! Glad you enjoy soup season as much as I do! And hope you get the chance to make this delicious recipe! Thanks for your visit and your kind comment!
I’m getting butterflies in my stomach just thinking about making cold calls. . .I’m a total introvert! But I like the idea of carrying something yummy with me to break the ice :). I actually think that’s one reason I bake; people don’t want to talk to me too much if I’ve just handed them a plate of cookies right? Haha! This stew sounds fantastic, and perfect for chilly days!
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Hey, Kelsie, I totally get it! It was always a plus for me to bring cookies, or donuts or BBQ Sandwiches! It helped get me in to the office to see many people, and also made the initial conversation much easier. Thanks for visiting!
Interesting! I didn’t realize you spent time in North Carolina. I grew up in the Carolinas (South and North), and I must say that I love (!!) that area of the country. Whenever we finally get to move from upstate New York, I’ve told Laura that the Carolinas are high on the list. For some reason, I’ve never had NC Fish Stew, though. This sounds delicious, and I’m definitely putting it on my list to make soon. It’s still cold here, so a good bowl of stew will be much appreciated by everyone! 🙂
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Thanks, David! Yes, I was only there for about a year and a half, but lived in Greensboro so I had easy access to all of NC and SW Virginia, where my clients were. I loved the Carolinas, too! Glad you’re game to make this stew, it’s pretty simple and simply delicious! Thanks for visiiting!
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We would totally enjoy this stew at our house. We’re big seafood fans! Pinning and so excited to try!
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Thanks, Mary Ann! I’ll be interested to know how you like it! Thanks for your visit and for pinning!
This looks super amazing! What a wonderful comforting stew! Pinning!!
Thanks, Kim! Hope you get the chance to try it – its so simple and so tasty! Thanks for visiting and for pinning!
A great recipe and perfect for this part of the world as well.
Laura, that was a great story and one my wife can relate to. As you know (I think) she’s Swedish but speaks perfect English, but with a distinct non-American accent. We would go to Ocracoke, NC every year while we live in the Eastern US and always the locals would ask, “Where you from honey”. It always made her want to bolt, but she got used to it. Thanks for a lovely post.
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Ron! Yes, that was the other response to my Midwestern “accent”, which I think is no accent, BTW. Ocracoke is a nice area for sure. Glad she and I have that in common. It’s a bit discomforting when it happens, but in a way, one does get used to it. Thank you for your visit, and your nice comments.
I’ve had several jobs in my time Laura where I’ve had to do cold calling too, be it on the telephone or when I worked in recruitment having to go into large companies offices and ask to speak to the managing director or manager only to be told politely (of often not so politely) where to go! Anyway I love your North Carolina fish stew recipe it looks absolutely delicious really hearty and something I could do with today with it being really cold here in Scotland.
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Thanks, Neil! I imagine type of stew has a cousin in Scotland, too! I don’t know about you, but “cold calling” is not something I’m particularly fond of, nor particularly skilled, but I guess it’s a role many of us need to do at some point. I have to say, I’m much happier doing what I do now!
Closet extrovert, haha! I can relate to that. I can also relate to this delicious stew!!!! This is something I would not ordinarily make, which makes me want to try it even more!
Glad you appreciate my brand of extroversion. Ha! This is certainly different than what I usually make, too,, and I’d not had it since I lived in NC! But so worth the (minimal) effort! Thanks for visiting Katherine!
Dear Laura ! Having week dinner using spoon is something I love the most. It is not just while the days are cold; it’s our four seasons habit. I intend to print this one and have it at hand since it is going to be made quite often. Also, I bring home made food to my work and love having something that comforting especially when the days over there are crazy. Thank you so much !
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Thanks, Davorka! I hope you like it as we did! A great idea to bring to work, too! Thanks for visiting!