Seafood Stew Recipe

Foodie Friday is back! This stew can be made using whatever little bits of seafood you have left over from other meals.

Seafood Stew (prep. time about an hour)

½ pound each: shell-on raw shrimp, bay scallops and Mahi Mahi (cut into bite-sized pieces. If the fish has skin on, remove it.)

1 C. mixed vegetables (frozen or canned)

½ C. cannellini beans

1 box seafood stock

½ onion, rough chop

2 ribs celery, rough chop

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 Tbl. Olive oil

2Tbl.OldBayseafood seasoning

1 tsp. oregano

Salt and pepper

1 C. long grain brown rice

Boil about a cup and a half of water in a small sauce pan to a boil. Stir in the rice and cook according to package instructions.  You want the rice to be a little under-cooked since it will finish in the soup.  Don’t worry if you still have water that hasn’t been absorbed by the rice since that can go in the soup, too.

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high and sauté the onion and celery until almost tender. Peel the raw shrimp and put the shells and garlic in with the celery and onion.  Cook until the shells turn pink. Remove and discard the shells.  Add the seafood stock, mixed vegetables and cannellini beans along with bay seasoning, oregano, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and add the fish first since it takes the longest to cook. Add the scallops after a couple minutes, then the shrimp.  Reduce heat and simmer until the shrimp turns pink. Add rice and continue to simmer for at least five to ten more minutes. Taste stock and adjust the salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning to your liking.  If you would like a little more deep salty flavor, add a few tablespoons of soy sauce.

Serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers.

You can throw any seafood you like into the stew. Oysters, mussles and clams add a good flavor and if you cook them in their shells, their liquid as they open will help to flavor the stock. I even used the leftover shells from a crawfish boil along with shrimp shells to start the stock. I also boiled the skin from the fish in the stock for a few minutes before removing it and cutting into pieces for the dogs. (Good for their coats)