Caldo De Peixe, Cape Verde. Olympic Food Challenge

Here it is, the damp squib of the Olympics, the one that didn't quite make it.

Tonight's country of the Olympic Food Challenge was Cape Verde an archipelago of 10 islands of the west coast of Africa. member of the IOC since its recognition in 1993 and without a single medal to it's name so far.

The recipe I found for this country was an interesting sounding fish soup, Caldo De Peixe.

Unfortunately it's taste didn't quite meet up to it's expectation.

I halved the recipe (this version below, double for the original) because of the vast quantities it would make for the two of us, I also substituted Cod for the more environmentally friendly (and cheaper) Coley, other than that I went ahead with the recipe as stated:

Caldo De Peixe

Ingredients

 3 white potatoes, chopped

1.5 sweet potatoes, chopped

1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 spring onions, chopped

1.5 lbs saltwater fish (such as tautog, cod, bluefish or sea bass) I used Coley

Water

In a medium pan, boil both white and sweet potatoes, about 15 minutes.

In a large pan, gently saute chopped onions,red and green peppers and tomatoes in oil.

Next add fish cut into small pieces to the large pan and saute.

Add partly cooked white and sweet potatoes, along with enough cooking water to simmer the soup.

Simmer until potatoes and fish are done.

Add chopped parsley and chopped spring onions to the pan.

Verdict

There is no denying this dish would be good for those on a diet, plenty of veg, fish, and almost no fat. however it lacked flavour, a kick, something to make it bloody good. Why does my mind keep imagining cream? A shame really but never mind that's the joy of this challenge, to try a new something new from around the world. 17 to go....