An Italian seafood stew – works easily as main dish or as starter course in smaller servings.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large Vidalia onion, diced
- 3 shallots, diced
- 1 large bulb fennel, shaved
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds, toasted
- 1 tsp. dried oregano (or dried Italian seasoning)
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups clam juice
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups white wine
- 2 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves
- 2 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves
- 1/2 pound hot andouille sausage, peeled and sliced (omit for Fridays in Lent, double pepper flakes)
- 1/2 pound sea scallops, salted and peppered
- 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 pound halibut, hake, or other firm, white fish
- 1/2 pound jumbo lump crab meat
Directions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large medium-high pan
- Add garlic, brown for 20 seconds
- Remove garlic and place in large stockpot
- Reduce pan to medium and sweat onion, shallots, fennel, and peppers until tender and onions are translucent (in batches if needed), using 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 large pinches of salt
- Add cooked vegetables, tomatoes (including liquid from can), fennel seeds, bay leaf, oregano, pepper flakes to stockpot along with clam juice and water
- Brown sausage slices over medium-high heat
- Set sausage aside
- Deglaze pan with half-cup wine and add liquid to stockpot
- Add 1 Tbsp. oil and butter to pan and spread evenly
- Just as butter starts to smoke, add scallops
- Wait 90 seconds and flip. DON'T TOUCH BEFORE THEN
- Cook another 90 seconds, maybe a few seconds more if pan has cooled down
- Scallops should have crust of sear on each side that does not extend down vertical portions
- Reduce heat to medium and set scallops aside in refrigerator on ice
- Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup wine and add to stockpot
- Add tomato paste to pan and cook over medium, stirring constantly, until paste turns slightly brown – about 2-4 minutes
- Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup wine and add to stockpot, stirring well
- Add remaining cup of wine to stockpot and bring to rolling boil to reduce liquid by about half
- Add sausage to stockpot
- Cover and reduce to low simmer for 1 hour
- Add fresh herbs, fish, crab, and shrimp
- Cook until fish and shrimp are done, stirring GENTLY about 5 minutes
- Add scallops and bring back to low simmer
- Serve in large flat bowls with crostini
This recipe was submitted by rjp on June 14, 2007.