Spicy White Bean Chili with Wild White Fish
Blog Home | Cooking + Recipes
Spicy White Bean Chili with Wild White Fish

Spicy White Bean Chili with Wild White Fish

February 25th, 2022

A Lighter Take on Comfort Food, Featuring Lean White Fish

This white bean seafood chili is an incredibly lean take on a comfort food classic, a healthy and filling meal that you’ll want to have tucked into the fridge to reheat throughout the week. 

Using a mild, wild-caught variety of white fish from Alaska means that you’ll want to embrace the full potential of your spice cabinet, since conventional chili recipes rely on the fattier, heavier proteins to build flavor into the chili. To complement the light flavor profile of seafood, this chili uses white beans as it’s base. Cannellini beans are ideal, as they hold their shape well in stews, but any white bean will do as this chili won’t need more than 30 minutes on the stovetop. 

As for fish, Wild Alaska Pollock Quick Cuts are perfectly sized to use in a recipe like this, though any variety of white fish can be cut to size. You can even use Pacific Rockfish from frozen, as the portions are thin enough to cook through quickly and evenly. Just rinse off the ice glaze, separate the fillets, then chop into pieces.

Print Recipe

Spicy White Bean Chili with Wild White Fish

By Wild Alaskan Company

Different brands of chili powder have different levels of potency, depending on the blend itself as well the age of the chili powder — spices lose their punch over time, so if your chili powder has been on the grocery store shelf or in your pantry for over 6 months, you may want to up the amount used in this recipe.

Prep time

10 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total time

40 minutes

Yield

4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee/clarified butter
  • 1 cup onions, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (omit if desired)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder, depending on potency
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
  • 1 tablespoon dijon or yellow mustard
  • Salt, to taste
  • 2 (6-ounce) portions Pacific Rockfish, Pacific Halibut, Pacific Cod, or Wild Alaska Pollock
  • Sliced scallions, for serving
  • Sour cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeno (if using). Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Allow to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Add tomato paste and soy sauce to pot and cook for 1 minute, then stir in stock, beans, and mustard. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste to adjust seasoning as desired.

3. Meanwhile, prep fish, cutting any fillets into bite-sized pieces. Stir into chili a few minutes before serving to cook through. Garnish with sour cream and scallions, and serve while hot with saltines crackers on the side. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.