It’s like you’re living a scene out of every cook’s dreams: Your guests are circled tight around the table, leaning in as you dip your ladle into a fragrant, steaming pot. Out it comes, full of chunks of meaty fish and sweet shrimp and dotted with briny clams.
There’s a collective gasp; it looks like a complicated dish that must have taken hours to cook. But you smile to yourself, knowing it only took about 20 minutes to put it all together. You must be a genius!
Or maybe you’ve just discovered the secret of seafood stew.
Think of bouillabaisse, cioppino or any of the dozens of hearty fisherman’s dinners found around the world. We tend to glorify these dishes, making them seem almost impossible to prepare at home. But the reality is, a seafood stew is about as easy to put together as anything you can imagine.
Here’s how it goes: You spend a little time making a flavor base in the morning, or even a day or two in advance. When you’re almost ready to eat, you add the seafood and heat everything just long enough to cook it through.
Seafood stews are a terrific one-pot party dish: Serve some almonds and olives beforehand, maybe a salad and cheese afterward, and you’ve got a feast. The stews couldn’t be easier or more delicious. But the most amazing thing is that so few people serve them.
Say “stew” and you think of something deeply flavored and hearty that has cooked for hours. Seafood stews have all of that, except they cook in minutes. Whereas meat is full of tough sinew that needs long, patient cooking to become tender, fish is almost pure muscle.
The biggest danger with seafood stews is overcooking. Braise them too long and the tender fish will fall apart. (But even then the flavor will be wonderful.)
Lighter and more delicate than meat stews, seafood stews are perfect for chilly evenings. You get all the comfort and wonderfully developed flavors of meat stews but without the weight.
Seafood stews are remarkably flexible too. About the only requirement is that you need to use meaty fish – flimsy fillets like sole will dissolve to nothing, even with the gentlest of cooking.
So you start with a flavor base. This need not be anything fancy. It can be like a quick pasta sauce – saute some garlic and onions in olive oil and add crushed tomatoes. Or you can make a Spanish-style sofrito, sauteing chorizo, red bell peppers and onions along with the tomatoes.
Don’t feel limited to red sauces. You can also build seafood stews out of sauteed shallots enriched with white wine and cream.
Then add fish – do this gradually, according to how long it will take to cook. The thickest, densest fish goes in first; it will take 10 to 15 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the pieces. Every couple of minutes, step down in size and meatiness. Finally, add the shellfish, which takes only three to five minutes to heat through; you don’t want to overcook and toughen it.
Given the ever-changing inventory at most seafood markets, you’re better off buying from categories of fish rather than going in with a set shopping list. The best fish for stews are steak fish such as halibut, tuna, shark, swordfish, grouper and sea bass. Monkfish and lingcod work well too. Rockfish, usually sold as Pacific red snapper, is good as long as the fillets are thick enough. You might think salmon would work, but its flavor tends to overpower.
Probably the most famous fish stew really isn’t one at all. Bouillabaisse, the classic dish of Marseilles, is usually served in this country as a tomato-and-saffron-flavored fish stew. But in its home port, it’s traditionally presented in two courses: first as a kind of coarse soup thickened with bits of pureed fish, then as a separate plate of fish and potatoes that have been cooked in the soup. (Truthfully, orange peel and fennel are almost as important to the final flavor as tomatoes, and don’t forget the croutons spread with the red pepper paste called rouille.)
American confusion notwithstanding, the French have firm rules for how a bouillabaisse should be made, down to detailing that four of six specific fish must be present for it to qualify as the real thing, according to the Charte de la Bouillabaisse Marseillaise, a group formed to oversee such things.
I do have a few firm opinions about cioppino. The sauce must be made with red wine, and a lot of it. In the final dish, it should balance the tomatoes. When the two cook down together, you wind up with a lovely wine-dark sauce that tastes like neither ingredient but some delicious third thing you can’t quite put your finger on.
And I am in favor of shellfish: shrimp and clams or mussels, certainly, but also Dungeness crab or spiny lobster when they are in season. There is a distinct flavor difference between fish and shellfish, and a cioppino needs that sweet brininess to be complete.
My personal little cioppino quirk is adding chopped squid to the red wine and tomato base while it stews. The calamari cooks to a melting tenderness and infuses the sauce with the suggestion of seafood, setting the stage for everything else you’re going to add.
There are, of course, many possibilities for seafood stew beyond cioppino. Make a Spanish-style sauce, using chorizo and tomatoes burnished by a pinch of saffron; add steamed potatoes now so they’ll soak up some of the broth.
3tablespoons olive oil
1cup chopped green onion
1cup chopped onion
1green bell pepper, chopped
1/4teaspoon crushed red pepper
6-8cloves garlic, chopped
1/3pound squid, tubes and tentacles, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
128-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2cups fruity red wine
1teaspoon salt
1bay leaf
1/4teaspoon dried oregano
2pounds firm, meaty fish such as shark, yellowtail, grouper or sea bass, cut in 1-inch cubes
1pound lean flaky fish, such as rock cod or snapper, cut in 1-inch cubes
3/4pound shrimp, in shell
1pound small clams
1/2cup parsley
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the green onion, onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the squid and stir to coat with flavorings. Add the crushed tomatoes, red wine, salt, bay leaf and oregano and bring to a simmer.
Lower the heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally. The mixture will eventually lose its raw alcohol smell and the wine and crushed tomatoes will form a sauce. This will take about 45 minutes. You will notice a change in the smell and taste of the sauce as it loses its harshness and mellows. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 2 hours in advance or even longer if tightly covered and refrigerated.)
In a separate large saucepan, one that is taller than it is wide, arrange the fish. First, ladle in a thin layer of the sauce. Then begin stacking the fish in the rough order of how long they will take to cook: Start with the meaty ones, then the flaky, then the shrimp and then the clams. If you are using crab or lobster, put those on the bottom layer.
Pour the remaining sauce over the fish and give the pan a good shake to distribute the sauce evenly. Cover and place over medium heat. Cook until the small clams are open, about 20 minutes. From time to time, shake the pan vigorously (hold the lid on tight!) rather than stirring, to avoid breaking up the fish.
When ready to serve, taste and add more salt if necessary, gently stir in the parsley and ladle the stew into warm bowls.
Serve with thick slices of baguette you’ve toasted, rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with olive oil.
Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 403 calories; 49 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 193 milligrams cholesterol; 631 milligrams sodium.
Adapted from Helen Evans Brown’s “West Coast Cook Book.”
1pound raw shrimp, shell-on (if head-on, 1 1/2 pounds)
1onion
2sprigs tarragon
6black peppercorns
Salt
4cups water
2pounds baby artichokes (see note)
2tablespoons butter
1shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1/2cup white wine
3tablespoons whipping cream
1pound grouper or other firm-fleshed whitefish, cut in 1-inch cubes
1tablespoon tarragon leaves
Peel the shrimp and put the shells in a small saucepan. Cut the onion in half and add half the onion, 2 sprigs of tarragon, black peppercorns and one-fourth teaspoon salt to the shrimp shells. Cover with the water and bring to a simmer. Cook 30 to 45 minutes. This will make about 2 cups of strained broth.
While the stock is cooking, clean the artichokes. Have a large bowl at your side filled with water and the juice of half a lemon. This is where you will put the cleaned artichokes; the lemon juice in the water will keep them from discoloring. You probably will need two knives: one medium slicing knife for trimming and a small paring knife for finishing the peeling.
Hold the artichoke in your left hand with the stem facing toward you and the tip facing away. Slowly turn the artichoke against the sharp edge of the knife while making an abbreviated sawing motion. (It’s easier to control if you use the base of the knife rather than the tip.) You will begin to cut through the tough outer leaves; when you can discern the natural cone shape of the artichoke, adjust the knife to follow it. Keep trimming just like this until you’ve cut away enough of the tough leaves so that you can see only light green at the bases. Cut away the top half inch or so of the tip of the artichoke and dip the artichoke into the lemon water to keep the cut surfaces from discoloring.
With the paring knife, trim away the very tip of the stem and then peel the stem and base of the artichoke going from the tip to where the base meets the leaves. You’ll have to do this at least five or six times to make it all the way around the artichoke. When you’re done, there should be no dark green tough spots left, only pale green and ivory. If you’re using baby artichokes, leave the artichoke whole. Just put it in the lemon water and repeat for the remaining artichokes.
By the time you’ve finished all of the artichokes, the shrimp stock will probably be ready. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet. Mince the remaining half onion and add it and the shallots to the butter. Cook over medium-low heat until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it is reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes.
Add the artichokes and stir to coat with the flavorings. Add 1 cup of the strained shrimp stock, cover the skillet and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the artichokes are tender enough to pierce with a small sharp knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
When the artichokes are cooked, there should be only a little moisture left in the pan; if there isn’t, add a little more strained broth. Add the cream and stir to swirl it into the remaining liquid. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 2 hours in advance or even earlier if tightly covered and refrigerated.)
When almost ready to serve, bring the artichoke mixture back to a simmer over medium heat. Add the grouper, cover and cook 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, cover and cook until they are firm and pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add the tarragon leaves and raise the heat to high. Cook just long enough to reduce the braising juices to a thin sauce. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.
Note: Baby artichokes are available from select Trader Joe’s stores and some well-stocked supermarkets.
Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 236 calories; 29 grams protein; 9 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 160 milligrams cholesterol; 228 milligrams sodium.
1/2pound small potatoes, cut in bite-size pieces
2tablespoons olive oil
1/4pound Spanish chorizo, chopped (see note)
1onion, minced
1red bell pepper, minced
4cloves garlic, minced
3plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped
1cup dry white wine
Pinch of saffron
Salt
1 1/2pounds monkfish, cut in 1-inch chunks
1pound small clams
1/4cup chopped parsley
In a covered pot, steam the potatoes over rapidly boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes.
In a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat, warm the oil and add the chorizo. Cook until it has rendered some of its fat and looks cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, white wine and saffron and cook until the tomatoes have melted into the sauce, which should have lost its alcohol smell. Add the potatoes. The texture should be loose and slightly soupy, but not broth-like. Taste and season with salt. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 2 hours in advance; or even longer if tightly covered and refrigerated.)
When almost ready to serve, warm the base over medium heat. Add the monkfish and cook just until it changes color, about 3 minutes. Add the clams, raise the heat to high, cover tightly and cook until all of the clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Note: The best sausage to use for this is the semi-cured Spanish chorizo, though any other Spanish chorizo will suffice. Mexican chorizo is not a substitute.
Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 306 calories; 26 grams protein; 13 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 14 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 53 milligrams cholesterol; 276 milligrams sodium.
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