Italian Seafood Stew Recipes

ITALIAN SEAFOOD STEW

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and return to a boil.
• Stir in clams and reduce to a rapid simmer. Cover and cook until clams open, about 7 minutes (discard any that don't open).
• Arrange fish in a single layer on top of stew. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit until fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with parsley, if desired.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
• Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

SEAFOOD STEW WITH TOMATOES AND BASIL

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, oregano and fennel seeds and sauté until onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, clam juice, white wine and liquid reserved from clams. Increase heat and boil until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add clams, shrimp and crabmeat. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Mix in fresh basil and simmer until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 2 minutes longer. Season stew to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large stockpot, add onions, garlic and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.
• Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you add them). Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, water and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and crabmeat. Stir in fish, if desired. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams open. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread!

ITALIAN-STYLE FISH STEW

Steps:

• Marinate the fish: Cut fish into 2-inch chunks and place in a medium bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add half the chopped thyme, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the lemon slices. Toss to coat and set aside for 30 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 8 hours).
• Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, stirring, 5 or 6 minutes.
• Add reserved thyme, minced garlic, saffron, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, bay leaf and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add wine, tomatoes and stock or water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust; the broth should be well seasoned. (This seasoned base may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, if desired.)
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange fish, clams and lemon slices in the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch baking dish or a wide earthenware casserole of similar size. Ladle the broth over everything, cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until clams have opened and fish flakes easily.
• Toast the bread and rub each slice with garlic. Sprinkle parsley over the soup. Serve in low soup bowls, giving each guest some fish, clams, broth and garlic toast.

ITALIAN CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large braising pan over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in melted butter, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir chicken broth, diced tomatoes, wine, water, basil, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves with the onion and garlic. Place a cover on the braising pan and cook mixture at a simmer until the tomatoes are softened and the broth flavorful, about 30 minutes.
• Fold cod, shrimp, scallops, clams, and mussels into the broth mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, return cover to pan, and continue to simmer until the clams open, 5 to 7 minutes.