Summer Seafood Stew (April 2021 – Issue 1)

Source: FeastingatHome.com

Prep + Cook Time: 35 minutes 
Serves 4-6 as a main

INGREDIENTS:

• 200g crumbled Chorizo
• 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
• 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 of diced Tomatoes and juices)
• 240g firm fish like Halibut, Tilapia, Mahi-Mahi, or Salmon
• 450g Mussels (or sub Clams)
• 450g large Prawns, raw, peeled and de-veined (or sub Scallops)
• ½ teaspoon Chilli Flakes or Cayenne
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ½ cup chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley
• 1 Lemon
• Crusty Bread or 1 cup of Cannellini Beans

METHOD:

1. In a large, heavy-bottom deep skillet or Dutch oven, brown the chorizo in a little olive oil. (Remove from casing and break up or crumble into small bite-size pieces). Once browned, set it aside. Pour off the fat, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.
2. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add fennel, stirring often for about 3 minutes. Then add onion, turn the heat down to medium, and saute both until tender, for about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts to turn golden. Add tomato paste. Turn heat up to high, constantly stirring, until paste darkens, about 3 more minutes. You are basically frying the paste to deepen the flavour of the dish.
3. Add white wine and turn the heat down to medium-high, stirring until it cooks down by half, for about 2 minutes. Next, add chicken stock, tomatoes, browned chorizo, and fish sauce and bring to a simmer.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste and chilli flakes. If using chorizo, the broth may be salty enough – each chorizo is different. Squeeze with half the lemon. Taste. You want the broth to taste rich and flavourful.
5. Add fish and let it simmer for a couple of minutes, then add prawns and let it simmer again before adding mussels last. A point to note, the larger the seafood, 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.
6. Taste, adjust salt and lemon to your preferences.
7. Divide among bowls and Finish with the fresh parsley.

The best firm fish for soups or stews: 

1. Sea bass 
2. Halibut 
3. Black Cod 
4. Haddock 
5. Escolar 
6. Wahoo (Ono) 
7. Red Snapper
8. Salmon 
9. Scallops 
10. Shrimp