Easy Seafood Stew

Check in: how are we doing on our New Year’s resolutions? One of my goals for 2019 was to continue to focus on the quality of food I’m purchasing and serving my family. As a first step, last year I signed up for two services that deliver grass-fed/finished beef and organic chicken, and wild caught seafood right to our house.

Diver scallops delivered to my doorstep – what a time to be alive!

Anyway, last weekend we got hit with snomageddon round 4 (or was it 5? I’ve lost track – GAHHH!) and I was craving something really, really warm and hearty. With a freezer full of seafood, I decided to thaw a few portions then let them star in a delicious Seafood Stew. This simply, hearty stew tastes slow-cooked but doesn’t take all day to make, plus its full of kitchen staples like stock, garlic, dried herbs, potatoes, and canned tomatoes, so I didn’t have to go out into said snomageddon for the ingredients.

Not only am I feeling warm and fuzzy about the wild-caught seafood contained in this stew, but the broth it’s swimming around in is pumped up and flavored by Red Gold Tomatoes, whom this post is sponsored by!

I’ve been using Red Gold Tomato products over the past year (worked with them on a few TV cooking spots in 2018 – so fun!) and am a mega fan. The tomatoes used in Red Gold’s products are sustainably grown by family farms in the Midwest and have zero “canned” flavor. You know what you usually have to do when using canned tomatoes? Add sugar to mask that tinny taste, which I’ve never had to do with Red Gold tomatoes. They all taste really fresh which, if I’m going to splurge by using fresh seafood in a stew, I do NOT want to be bringing it down with inferior ingredients.

Red Gold asked me to conduct a little experiment at home to see the difference in quality between their products – whole canned tomatoes in this case – versus another leading brand. Red Gold is on the left while the other brand is on the right.

You can absolutely see the difference between the two! Isn’t that cool!?

Lastly, I have to applaud Red Gold for offering ALL their tomato products as gluten-free. One of the other leading canned tomato brands offers SOME of their products gluten-free, which is so confusing and obnoxious. I really appreciate Red Gold for being a “one stop shop”, if you will, for canned tomato products.

Now, back to this stew. I used jumbo gulf shrimp, scallops that I sliced in half widthwise, and cubed halibut, though you could use whatever fish/shellfish your family likes. Squid rings, branzino, mussels or clams could all work equally as well. I especially love the scallops in here. I went back after my third (!!) bowl hoping to fish some more out (see what I did there,) but tragically they had all been eaten. By myself. SO GOOD!

Start by melting 4 Tablespoons butter with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add 2 small or 1 large sliced leek plus 1 chopped shallot, season with salt and pepper, then saute until the leeks are tender, 15 minutes. Add 4 cloves minced garlic then saute until very fragrant, 2-3 more minutes.

Next add a 14.5oz can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano, a 15oz can Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes, 2-1/2 cups seafood stock (I like Kitchen Basics or Imagine brand), 1 cup chicken stock, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, plus 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add 2 cups diced peeled russet potatoes (about 1 medium-sized potato) then partially cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next, we turn to zee seafood. You’ll need 1-1/4lbs seafood so use whatever your family likes best.

I used a combination of scallops sliced in half widthwise, halibut cut into 1” cubes, and peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp. As I mentioned, branzino, salmon, squid, mussels and/or clams would work too.

Once the potatoes are tender, turn the heat up to high to bring the soup to a boil then slide the seafood into the pot with a small handful of finely chopped parsley and simmer for 2-3 minutes. The heat of the pot and broth will continue to cook the seafood after the heat’s been turned off so don’t cook for too long.

Last step is to add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice (I don’t know about you, but I feel seafood is best enjoyed with lemon, butter, and herbs. Check, check, and check!) then scoop into bowls and serve with fresh salads or crispy crostini to soak up that rich and decadent broth – I’ll include an easy crostini recipe in the notes section below. However you serve it, I hope you love this simple, scrumptious stew recipe! Enjoy!

Easy Seafood Stew

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Description

Easy Seafood Stew is packed with wholesome ingredients like vegetables, stock, and seafood. Quick cooking but tastes like its been simmering all day!

Ingredients

serves 4-6

• 4 Tablespoons butter or vegan butter
• drizzle extra virgin olive oil
• 2 small or 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 14.5oz can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano*
• 15oz can Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes
• 2-1/2 cups seafood stock
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium-sized Russet potato, peeled and chopped (2 cups)
• 1-1/4lb mixed seafood: halibut, scallops, shrimp, salmon, branzino, squid, mussels and/or clams (see notes)
• 1 small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Melt butter and extra virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks and shallot, season with salt and pepper, then saute until leeks are tender and beginning to turn golden brown, 15 minutes. Add garlic then saute until very fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add Red Gold tomato products, seafood stock, chicken stock, dried thyme, and bay leaf then turn heat up to bring to a bubble. Turn heat back down to medium-low then simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes then place a lid partially on top and simmer until potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste then add salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Turn heat to high then, once the stew is bubbling, add the seafood and parsley and cook for 2-3 minutes or until seafood is barely cooked through - remember that the seafood will continue to cook from the heat of the soup/pot, so don’t overcook! Remove pot from heat then add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice (start with a little as you can always add more.) Scoop into bowls then serve immediately.

Notes

• If you prefer petite diced versus regular diced tomatoes, use a pair of kitchen shears to snip the tomatoes in the can after opening.
• I used a combination of scallops sliced in half widthwise, halibut cut into 1” cubes, and peeled/deveined jumbo shrimp.
• For crostini: Slice a gluten-free baguette (or regular baguette if you don’t need to eat GF) into 1/4" slices then brush both sides with extra virgin olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange on a sheet pan then bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping slices halfway through. Let cool completely.

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.