Spicy Tomato Seafood Stew
I can’t even tell you how excited I‘m to bring you this spicy seafood stew recipe. It has a delicate tomato sauce base seasoned just with fennel seeds, ground white pepper and red chili flakes. I made an arugula and orange zest pesto to drizzle on top for a burst of freshness. The plates were squeaky clean after everyone finished their meal. It’s one of those recipes that keeps lingering in your mind even days after you made it and keeps you wondering when you’ll be making it again. And what goes with seafood stew? Below you’ll find some simple ideas of what to serve with any good seafood stew.
Besides the scrumptious taste this dish has, the other reason I’m beyond excited to bring you this recipe is that I developed it for Pomì and I’ve been using their strained tomato sauce since I got married 20 years ago. Their strained tomato sauce has to be one of the first specialty ingredients I started using when I began experimenting with new recipes and ingredients in the kitchen. I fell in love with Pomì sauce since the first box I bought. It’s just made purely with 100% fresh Italian tomatoes and it doesn’t have any artificial ingredients or unnecessary added sugars or fats, so it’s always the perfect base for any tomato based dish. I could add paprika and saffron for an inspired Spanish dish. I add dried oregano, cilantro and cumin when going for a Mexican themed dish. And of course, count on oregano, garlic, annatto and lots of peppers and onions for a traditional Puerto Rican meal. I have recommended this sauce to my mom, which totally loves it, my sister, my friends, and now I’m so excited to recommend it directly to you!
Since I wanted to enhance the purity of Pomì strained tomato sauce, I used very light and delicate ingredients to add flavor to this seafood stew. Trust me, when you taste this flavorful recipe you’ll agree with me! The balance is on point! To add some freshness to the dish I made a pesto sauce using arugula and orange zest to keep repeating and enhancing the grassy and peppery notes of the stew.
Now about the wine!! I used a Verdejo wine for both cooking and drinking. This wine was really a perfect pairing because it has mineral and fennel notes, which is one of the ingredients of this stew. Was so delicious! This is a pretty rare wine. If you can’t find some, try using a Sauvignon Blanc instead.
How to make an easy Seafood Stew
Make the pesto: as I mentioned, the pesto is completely optional but really adds a note of citrus freshness that goes so well with the fennel and spicy notes of the stew. You can also use it on the bread. My husband barely touched it because he was immersed in the stew sauce. But if you are like me that appreciate contrast and texture in your foods, this pesto is for you! You can make half recipe or make it full and have the extra on a pasta or over chicken or fish.
If you are working with frozen seafood (like I did), you need to thaw everything before making this seafood stew, because you don’t want the extra liquid. I like to submerge frozen scallops and shrimps in very hot tap water for several minutes, then discard the water and squeeze them with a paper towel (I do it even in the same bowl) to remove the excess. Then I season with salt or whatever seasoning I’ll be using that day.
Since this stew has a tomato based sauce, I highly recommend using a high quality tomato sauce. I used Pomì strained tomato sauce, it’s the tomato sauce I’ve been using for many years to cook any tomato based dish! It’s super fresh, thick and made 100% from pure Italian tomatoes. If you love food you probably know this brand and its quality by now, and if you haven’t heard of it by now you really need to cook with it and taste by yourself!
If you can’t find a good Verdejo wine, you can use another white wine with similar notes such a Sauvignon Blanc.
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to two days and reheat in a small casserole over medium heat. You can add some water or chicken stock and a drizzle of olive oil to refresh the sauce.
What goes with Seafood Stew
Toasty bread!: For me, the perfect side to a good seafood stew is a warm rustic bread. Toasty or just barely warmed to get it soft, bread will soak the stew sauce.
Arugula salad: the peppery notes of fresh arugula will be so good with any seafood stew. Keep it simple with just a drizzle of champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to let the flavors of the stew shine.
Sautéed broccolini: with just olive oil, salt and pepper. It was with what I served this seafood stew. Besides the bread, of course! Loved a crunchy bite in between all the tender texture of seafood. You can sauté asparagus or small sweet peppers.
Creamy polenta or mashed potatoes
Plain white rice
Hope this recipe brings something new to your table. I know you’ll love everything about it!
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Spicy Tomato Seafood Stew
Ingredients
Arugula and orange zest pesto
◯ Fresh arugula - 2 cups
◯ Zest of 1 orange
◯ Fine sea salt - ¼ Tsp
◯ Pine nuts - 1 TBSP
◯ Parmesan cheese (can substitute with Manchego, Asiago or Pecorino Romano), grated - ½ cup
◯ Grinded garlic - ¼ to ½ Tsp, or use a small garlic clove for a stronger garlic flavor
◯ Pure extra virgin olive oil - ½ cup
◯ Drizzle of the juice of one half of the orange
Spicy Tomato Seafood Stew
◯ Extra virgin olive oil - ¼ cup
◯ Yellow onion, finely diced - ½ cup
◯ Celery - finely diced - ½ cup
◯ Fine sea salt - ⅛ Tsp
◯ White wine (I used a Verdejo wine, you may use Sauvignon Blanc instead) - ½ cup
◯ Butter - 1 TBSP
◯ Chicken or seafood stock - 1 ½ cup
◯ Red chili flakes - ¼ Tsp
◯ Fennel Seeds - ¾ Tsp
◯ Ground white pepper - ⅛ Tsp
◯ Pomì strained tomato sauce - 1 cup
◯ Scallops, sprinkled with fine sea salt - 1 pound (about 15 pieces)
◯ Large shrimps or prawns, cleaned, peeled and sprinkled with fine sea salt - 8 to 10 pieces
◯ Mussels, scrubbed and cleaned and sprinkled with fine sea salt - 1 pound (about 15 pieces approximately)
Details
Yield:
4 servings as main course, 6 servings as an entree
Total time:
40 minutes, including the time for making the pesto
Cooking time:
30 minutes
Equipment:
food processor for the pesto, large skillet with lid for the stew
Steps
To make the pesto:
Place arugula, orange zest, salt and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor already attached to its base. Pulse for a bit less than a minute to get the arugula and pine nuts roughly chopped.
Add the cheese and garlic and pulse for 5 seconds two or three more times (maybe two more times if using the whole clove of garlic). With the processor running, pour the olive oil in a fine stream through the lid opening. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and drizzle it with a bit of orange juice, think a bit less than a tablespoon. Stir and refrigerate for up to 10 minutes before serving to bring it to room temperature. It can be done several days in advance, just let it come down to room temperature.
To make the spicy tomato seafood stew:
In a large skillet heat the ¼ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat for one minute. Add the onions and celery and sauté for about 3 minutes revolving and tossing frequently, until celery is soft and onions are soft and translucent. Sprinkle the ⅛ teaspoon of salt and mix. Pour the ½ cup of white wine and stir until liquid has almost evaporated and the remaining liquid looks thicker, about 1 minute. Add the butter and toss. As soon as the butter has melted pour the 1 ½ cup of stock. Lower the heat to medium and mix in the ¼ teaspoon of red chili flakes, the ¾ teaspoons of fennel seeds and the ⅛ teaspoons of white pepper. Boil for 2 minutes. Add the cup of Pomì strained tomato sauce. Cover and boil about 5 minutes.
Add the scallops to the liquid and cook with the skilled covered for 2 minutes. Incorporate the shrimps and cook covered for about a minute. Add the mussels and cover again to cook for one minute. Remove the lid and stir the content to distribute all the seafood within the sauce. Cook uncovered 3 to 5 minutes to reduce a bit the sauce.
Serve immediately with sautéed vegetables and warm or toasted bread and the pesto sauce.
