Easy Seafood Stew is packed with wholesome ingredients like vegetables, stock, and seafood. Quick cooking but tastes like its been simmering all day!
One of my goals for the year is 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, a few weekends ago we got hit with snomageddon round 4 (or was it 5? I’ve lost track) 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.
Types of Seafood Used
This simple, 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.
For the seafood portion I highlighted jumbo gulf shrimp, scallops, and cubed halibut, though you could use whatever fish/shellfish your family likes — you’ll need 1-1/4lbs total.
Squid rings, branzino, mussels or clams could all work really well, though I especially love the scallops in here and highly recommend.
Try this Comforting Soup
How to Make Seafood Stew
Step 1: Saute the aromatics.
Start by melting butter with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
Add sliced and cleaned leeks plus a chopped shallot then season with salt and pepper and saute until the leeks are tender, 15 minutes. Add minced garlic then saute until very fragrant, 2-3 more minutes.
Step 2: Add pantry staples then simmer.
Next add Italian-style diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, seafood stock (I like Kitchen Basics or Imagine brand), chicken stock, dried thyme, plus a dried bay leaf then stir to combine. Bring to a boil then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add diced and peeled russet potatoes then partially cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: Add the seafood.
Next, add the fresh seafood. You’ll need 1-1/4lbs seafood so use whatever your family likes best.
I like 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 add the seafood plus 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 overcook the seafood at this point.
Step 4: Season with lemon juice.
The final step is to add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice then scoop into bowls and serve with fresh salads and/or Gluten Free Focaccia or Gluten Free Biscuits to soak up that rich and decadent broth – I’ll include an easy crostini recipe in the notes section below, too.
However you serve it, I hope you love this simple, scrumptious stew recipe — enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons 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
- 14.5 oz Italian-style diced tomatoes
- 15 oz 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
- 1-1/4 lb 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
- 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.
- Add canned tomatoes, seafood stock, chicken stock, dried thyme, and bay leaf then turn heat up to bring to a simmer. 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.
- Turn heat to medium-high then add the seafood and parsley and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the seafood is barely cooked through — 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 like 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.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Excellent – my boys loved it. Used halibut, mussels, shrimp, and bay scallops (smaller, so they don’t need to be cut). Also used small Golden potatoes, sliced in half. Easier prep. Start – finish, 1 hour.
OH MY! This is the epitome of YUMMY! I had to make a few changes because I did not have shallots, a leek or fresh parsley. So, I used 1/2 of
a medium, yellow onion and dried parsley! I used a combo of cod, scallops, shrimp and canned clams. I had crab stock and mixed it with the juice from all of the other seafood. SOOOOO, SOOOO GOOD!
I can’t believe that I’ve lived on the west coast, most of my life and I have never made this before. What’s worse is that my father was a commercial fisherman! Mom never made it, either! I truly missed out, but never again! THIS IS A KEEPER!
This is delicious. I used salmon, shrimp and seafood mix. I will definitely make it again.
Oh. My. Yummy. Goodness. This was even better than the Ciopinni soup we get from Trader Joe’s, but has the same deep flavor. I used white fish and shrimp that I had in the freezer and served with garlic naan. Thanks for the new favorite!
This is absolutely delicious and a total hit in my home! The only think I added was some cajun spice and a pinch of crushed red pepper to heat it up a little
I’m so, so glad to hear it, Sarah! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Hi Kristin! I think this easy seafood stew recipe is more to our liking heat wise, as opposed to that Spicy Shrimp Stew. I will be trying the easy one for sure, but know that lots of your readers like the hotter version. Thanks!
This was amazing! One of the best soups I have made. Loved it!
So how does this reheat? I have some fish in the freezer and would love to make seafood stew!
This stew is definitely best fresh so the seafood doesn’t overcook. That said, you could portion out the broth then cook the seafood fresh each time, if you like!
I’ve never been disappointed in a recipe that you’ve posted, truly. But I do have a question about the use of shallot vs onion – are they interchangeable in recipes? I seem to always have an onion on hand, but not shallots.
I use shallots because onions hurt my husband’s stomach, and the quantity of chopped shallots I get from an average-sized shallot seems to match my cooking better (vs the amount of chopped onion I’d get from an average-sized onion, for example!) That said, you can almost always swap the shallot for onion – usually just 1/2 a regular sized onion to match the quantity you’d get from an average sized shallot!
Hi Kristin, this sounds delicious as always. I’ve never used seafood stock in anything before, so this sounds like a good way to try it. Thanks!
Does Red Gold sell canned tomatoes with “no salt added” in the stores? The other brand that you tested does and this is something that is important to our family because we have to limit our salt intake.
They do! Here are all their products: https://redgoldtomatoes.com/products
This looks delicious but I’m not a tomato chunk fan. I wonder if the consistency would change if I pureed the tomatoes before putting them in. Guess I’ll have to try it.
I have the same preference! I included a note in the recipe card but not the copy – I use a pair of kitchen shears to chop the diced tomatoes up a little bit in the can.
This looks so good! Love your photos. What is your source for the home delivered seafood? Thank you.
Fish Fixe! Here is my affiliate link if you’re interested! :) http://shop.fishfixe.com?rfsn=2054195.de97f7