One of my goals for this year is to continue to focus on the quality of food I’m purchasing and serving my family. As a first step, last year I signed up for two services that deliver grass-fed/finished beef and organic chicken, and wild caught seafood right to our house. Diver scallops delivered to my doorstep — what a time to be alive! Anyway, a few weekends ago we got hit with snomageddon round 4 (or was it 5? I’ve lost track!) and I was craving something really, really warm and hearty. With a freezer full of seafood, I decided to thaw a few portions then let them star in a delicious Seafood Stew.
Types of Seafood Used
This simple, hearty stew tastes slow-cooked but doesn’t take all day to make, plus its full of kitchen staples like stock, garlic, dried herbs, potatoes, and canned tomatoes, so I didn’t have to go out into said snomageddon for the ingredients. For the seafood portion I highlighted jumbo gulf shrimp, scallops, and cubed halibut, though you could use whatever fish/shellfish your family likes — you’ll need 1-1/4lbs total. Squid rings, branzino, mussels or clams could all work really well, though I especially love the scallops in here and highly recommend.
Try this Comforting Soup
How to Make Seafood Stew
Step 1: Saute the aromatics.
Start by melting butter with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add sliced and cleaned leeks plus a chopped shallot then season with salt and pepper and saute until the leeks are tender, 15 minutes. Add minced garlic then saute until very fragrant, 2-3 more minutes.
Step 2: Add pantry staples then simmer.
Next add Italian-style diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, seafood stock (I like Kitchen Basics or Imagine brand), chicken stock, dried thyme, plus a dried bay leaf then stir to combine. Bring to a boil then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add diced and peeled russet potatoes then partially cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: Add the seafood.
Next, add the fresh seafood. You’ll need 1-1/4lbs seafood so use whatever your family likes best.
I like a combination of scallops sliced in half widthwise, halibut cut into 1” cubes, and peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp. As I mentioned, branzino, salmon, squid, mussels and/or clams would work too.
Once the potatoes are tender, turn the heat up to high to bring the soup to a boil then add the seafood plus a small handful of finely chopped parsley and simmer for 2-3 minutes. The heat of the pot and broth will continue to cook the seafood after the heat’s been turned off so don’t cook overcook the seafood at this point.
Step 4: Season with lemon juice.
The final step is to add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice then scoop into bowls and serve with fresh salads and/or Gluten Free Focaccia to soak up that rich and decadent broth – I’ll include an easy crostini recipe in the notes section below, too. However you serve it, I hope you love this simple, scrumptious stew recipe — enjoy!
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