Great seafood stews to freeze and enjoy quickly

  • By Jan Roberts-Dominguez Special to The Herald
  • Thursday, January 22, 2015 5:48pm
  • Life

We all know how good fish is for our overall health. But when you’re trying to pull some marginal fish eaters over to your way of thinking, a good attitude is only half the battle. The truly successful nudge comes via good cooking. This time of year, a healthy-but-flavorful fish stew might be just the ticket.

But there’s that cooking thing. Not all that difficult on the culinary arts spectrum, but for a week-night meal, some of us might consider it messy and time-consuming. However, if all you have to do was grab a batch of a flavorful stew base from your freezer, defrost, and drop chunks of succulently fresh (or fresh-frozen) fish into the bubbling bath of zesty stew base, wouldn’t that be lovely?

Well I’ve revisited some of my favorite fish stews and found that quite a few qualify for a freezer-to-table approach.

The most important consideration when assembling these fish stews is really fresh fish. Fresh doesn’t have to mean never frozen. Because seafood can be so expertly frozen these days — usually right there on the fishing vessel within hours of catching — slabs of halibut in the frozen fish case is not my concern. But I do ask when it was thawed. If the answer is either “I don’t know” or “two days ago,” I move on. When a fish monger is willing to sell me frozen fillets, steaks, scallops, and shrimp, I jump at the opportunity because then I’m in control.

So here are three approaches to seafood stews. If I had to choose only one to make for the freezer, it would be the first, my cioppino. It’s zesty and delicious and can be used as a back drop to all kinds of seafood offerings. In all three cases, consider them as jumping off points from which to add whatever selection of fish you choose.

Cioppino

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 4 fresh cloves garlic, minced
  • 16 ounces salsa (any salsa will do, but I prefer Pace’s “medium” picante sauce)
  • 5 cans(141/2 oz each) diced tomatoes (see note below)
  • 11/2 cups dry white wine, such as Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or an Oregon Chardonnay
  • 2 teaspoons each, dried (or 1 tablespoon each fresh): basil, thyme, marjoram, and oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 3/4 pound red snapper
  • 3/4 pound halibut
  • 1/2 pound scallops
  • 1 pound steamer clams (optional, but very tasty)
  • 2 cups shrimp meat
  • Salt and additional pepper to taste

There are as many renditions of this classic San Francisco fish stew specialty as there are folks who’ve left their hearts there. But I have found this one to be a delicious-yet-simple approach. And I now use it as a back drop for a variety seafood beyond what I mention here. So feel free to do likewise.

To make the stew base, which makes about 12 cups, heat the oil in a large, heavy pot and saute the onions and garlic over medium-high heat until the onions are tender. Stir in the salsa, tomatoes, wine, herbs, black pepper, and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened enough to have enough substance to coat a spoon. Remove from the heat, adjust seasonings and if not using immediately, cool and refrigerate until needed, up to several days, or freeze in desired size freezer containers.

To finish the stew, (note: use the recommended fish above or your own combination) cut the snapper and halibut into 1/2- to 1-inch chunks; set aside in refrigerator until needed. Bring the stew base to a boil, then add the fish chunks and simmer until just barely cooked through. Add the scallops and clams and cook just until the clams open (discard any clams that don’t open). Add the shrimp and remove the pot from the burner; the shrimp will heat through nicely and not become tough. Add salt and additional fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Note: I use one can of diced tomatoes with jalapeno and four cans of regular diced tomatoes. That little bit of jalapeno adds just enough zip. However if you think you’ll be serving some very sensitive palates use five cans of regular diced tomatoes.

Makes 8 servings

Pacific Northwest seafood stew base

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
  • 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh fennel bulb
  • 11/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Gris
  • 2 cups clam juice
  • 3 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (or diced canned tomatoes with juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Dash of Tabasco
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 pound steamer clams in shell
  • 1/2 pound mussels in shell, scrubbed and debearded
  • 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 8 shrimp)
  • 1/4 pound sea scallops (halved), or bay scallops (whole)
  • 1/2 pound mixture of skinless firm-fleshed fish fillets or steaks (consider salmon, cod or halibut), cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks
  • 4 small cooked red potatoes, halved (Note! The potatoes are cooked)
  • 1/4 cup pernod (an anise flavored liqueur), optional
  • Fresh fennel fronds for garnish (optional; but they play off the pernod)

This is delicious straight from the kitchen, of course, but it’s also a great dish to enjoy at the beach after a day of fishing, clamming and mussel gathering. Make the seafood stew base ahead and pack it in your ice chest. Take along a stew pot, add a good bottle of Northwest wine and a loaf of French bread to your picnic basket, and you’ll be all set for a beach feast.

To make the stew base, which makes about 11 cups, pour the olive oil into a large stew pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, peppers, mushrooms, fennel and orange zest. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, or until the onion is translucent.

Add the wine, clam juice, tomatoes, salt, tabasco, pepper, basil, rosemary and thyme. Increase the heat to high, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, adjust seasonings and if not using immediately, cool and refrigerate until needed, up to several days, or freeze in desired size freezer containers.

To finish the stew (note: use the recommended fish above or your own combination), pour the 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and fish (or your own selection of seafood). Saute for 30 seconds. Add the cooked potatoes and pernod (if using) and cook for 30 seconds more, then add the seafood stew base. Cover and continue cooking just until the clams and mussels open (remove and discard any of the shell fish that do not open). Immediately remove from the heat and divide the fish and shellfish among 4 individual soup bowls. Ladle in the broth and vegetables.

Garnish with fennel fronds if desired. Serve immediately with warm French bread for dipping.

Recipe adapted from “Pacific Northwest: The Beautiful Cookbook,” edited by Cathy Casey.

Makes 4 servings.

Curried leek and seafood stew

  • 1 1/2 pounds leeks (white and pale green portions), cut into 1-inch chunks to measure 6 cups
  • 3 cups homemade or canned chicken broth
  • 1 cup peeled, cored, and diced apples
  • 2 cups diced yellow onions
  • 1 cup diced potato (a red, white, or Yukon gold variety would be best)
  • 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced to measure about 3/4 cup (or use good-quality canned diced tomato)
  • 1/2 cup diced carrot
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
  • 2 pounds fresh or frozen seafood, such as a mixture of bay scallops, crab meat, halibut, snapper, clams, cod, and/or shrimp

To make the stew base, which makes about 9 cups, combine the leeks, chicken broth, apples, yellow onionse pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes and leeks are tender. Remove the soup from the heat and cool slightly, then blend the mixture in several batches in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Cool and freeze in desired size freezer containers.

To finish the stew, bring the stew base to a gentle boil. Add the seafood and simmer just until the fish is cooked through.

Makes about 6 servings.

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, artist, and author of “Oregon Hazelnut Country, the Food, the Drink, the Spirit,” and four other cookbooks. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.