Seafood Stew Recipe

Ingredients

Aromatics and Base

• 6 ounces crumbled Mexican chorizo (optional)
• 2 cups finely diced fennel (one large bulb)
• 1 cup finely diced onion (half a large onion)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

Broth

• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock (or a good fish stock)
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (leave out if using fish stock)
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (or one can diced tomatoes with juices)

Seafood

• 8 oz firm white fish (halibut, sea bass, mahi mahi, or black cod)
• 1 lb mussels (or sub clams)
• 1 lb large prawns, raw, peeled and deveined (or sub scallops)

Seasonings and Garnish

• 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 0.5 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon

Instructions

Prepare the Base

1. In a large heavy bottom pot or deep skillet or Dutch oven, brown the chorizo in a little extra virgin olive oil. Remove from casing and break up or crumble into small bite-size pieces. Once browned, set aside. Pour off the fat and wipe out skillet with paper towel.
2. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add fennel, stirring often for about 3 minutes. Add onion, turn heat down to medium and sauté both until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts to turn golden. Add tomato paste. Turn the heat up to high, constantly stirring, until paste darkens, about 3 more minutes. You are frying the paste to deepen the flavor of the dish.

Build the Broth

1. Add white wine and turn heat down to medium-high, stirring until it cooks down by half, about 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, browned chorizo, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil and let simmer.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste, and chili flakes. If using chorizo, the broth may be salty enough. Squeeze with half the lemon. Taste—you want the broth to taste rich and flavorful.

Cook the Seafood

1. Add fish and simmer a couple minutes. Add prawns and simmer a couple minutes, then add mussels. Remember the larger the prawns or mussels or fish pieces, the longer they take to cook, so look at all your seafood ingredients and determine which will take the longest to cook, putting them in first.
2. Taste and adjust salt and lemon to your preferences.
3. Divide among bowls and finish with the fresh parsley.

Notes

• For Spanish chorizo, slice it instead of crumbling—it has a different texture than Mexican chorizo.
• The stew can be made without chorizo for a lighter, purely seafood-focused dish.
• Serve with crusty bread to soak up the delicious broth.