Thank you! In gratitude, here's my fave fish stew recipe (NOT a crockpot version, but now that you've given me a little confidence, I think it could be adapted easily, especially as the fish only goes in the pot for the last couple of minutes).

This was eaten, as you may recall, with great gusto by the sailors in the "Christmas Tale" thread:

PSAROSOUPA (Greek fisherman's stew)

(Note: all quantities and most ingredients adjustable to taste)

Roughly slice up several scrubbed potatoes (skins on) and a couple of onions. Simmer them for about 5 minutes in 1/2 cup olive oil. Add 2 chunked celery stalks and 2 chunked carrots [I add leeks too sometimes], simmer another 5 minutes. Then add 2 chunked tomatoes, a wineglassful of white wine, a bayleaf, and about 5 cups of water. Simmer this for about 1/2 hour until everything is tender, and then roughly puree it with an "outboard" blender or a potato masher.

In the mean time, cut into bite-size pieces about 2 lbs mized firm fish (not salmon, which somehow doesn't work well in this dish) and season with a little salt. When the veg. puree is made, slip in the fish and simmer for just three minutes or so, until the fish is done. Add the juice of one lemon [lime is yummy too, especially with the leeks in, but it ain't Greek!] and adjust the salt. Chop a bunch of parsley and stir that in.

Serve the stew either over slices of French bread fried in olive oil (traditional; this is what was in the Athenian cookbook I got the recipe from), or with an accompanying "rouille"-like sauce: puree several slices of French bread, cubed, your devilishly hot red peppers of choice (I use the kind made to shake on pizza for this), and "enough" [grin] garlic together in a food processor or blender. Add some of the vegetable puree and/or a little white wine if you're having trouble getting all this to blend. Then add olive oil in a slow, steady stream to make a smoothish sauce with vaguely mayonnaise-like consistency. Salt to taste. Users can add a dollop into bowls of stew according to levels of intelligence and personal courage. (This is a great way to sort out the wheat from the chaff.)

Accompany with lots of wine and possibly some line dancing (the Greek kind, not the country-Western bar kind).

Enjoy! Claire