Bowl of Fish & Shellfish Stew
(click to enlarge)

Fish & Shellfish Stew


US Texas
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 11 cups
***
2 hr
Most		 A spectacular stew from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Stews of this sort were brought to Texas by folks from the Canary Islands.




1
12
7
7
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1
2
4
7
2
4
6
8
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2
3
1/2
1/2
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ar
#
oz
oz
oz
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#

oz
oz
cl


oz
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T
c
T
t
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Fish Fillet (1)
Shrimp
Clam Meat (2)
Squid (3)
-- Aromatics
Tomatoes
Chili Poblano (4)
Bell Pepper, red
Onion, red
Garlic
Parsley Sprigs
Cilantro Sprigs
Tomato Sauce (5)
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Olive Oil, ExtV
Fish Stock (6)
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Parsley flat
Prep #1   -  (20 min - see Do Ahead)
  1. Cut FISH FILETS into bite size pieces.
  2. Thaw and shell SHRIMP. If very large cut in half crosswise. Thaw CLAM meats. Cut SQUID as appropriate. Mix all.
Prep #2   -  (45 min)
  1. Scald TOMATOES in boiling water 1 minute, chill in cold water. Peel and chop medium.
  2. Blast POBLANOS and BELL PEPPER black with your Kitchen Torch and brush the skins off under running water. Dice about 1/2 inch (If you don't skin them chop them smaller). Mix.
  3. Peel ONION and quarter lengthwise. Slice fairly thin crosswise. Mix with Poblanos. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Mix all with Poblanos.
  4. Tie HERBS in a bundle for easy removal.
Run   -   (45 min)
  1. in a sauté pan (3-1/2 quart min) or similar, heat Olive Oil over moderate flame. Stir in Poblano mix. Fry stirring until Onion is translucent.
  2. Stir in the Tomatoes. Fry over moderate heat, stirring often until liquid is almost gone.
  3. Stir in Fish Stock, Tomato Sauce, Herb Bundle, Salt, and Pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer covered about 15 minutes.
  4. IF Making Ahead , stop here. When serving time is near, bring back to a boil and continue (see Do Ahead).
  5. Over high heat, Stir Fish Pieces into the stock for 1 minute. Stir in Shellfish mix for 1 minute, and take off the heat. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. or so. Fish out Herb Bundle
  6. Serve hot, garnished with Parsley. You can place a bowl of Steamed Rice on the table to be spooned in as desired if you wish.
  7. IF serving on the Buffet, pour into a slow cooker set to "keep warm". If any must be reheated, bring up to only 170°F/77°C.
NOTES:

  1. Fish:

      The pattern recipe calls for Red Snapper (of course), but if you buy that as fillets you're likely getting something else anyway, and if it is actually Red Snapper, it's probably farmed. Tilapia works fine, it's Egyptian, but heavily farmed in Mexico. For guests I'd probably use Golden Pompano or Amberjack (a little stronger flavor) both of which can be used skin-on (my preference). For details see our Varieties of Fish page (very large page).

  2. Clam Meat:

      Frozen meat of small clams is available economically in Asian markets (at least here in Southern California).

  3. Squid:

      Other Seafood could also be used. Squid is an "underused" resource on the Gulf Coast, but plenty of it there. This can be in rings or other forms. I get it frozen from Asian markets. The pointy white items are called "Cutting Squid" in the Asian markets.

  4. Chili Poblano:

      These fairly mild Chilis can be found in markets serving a Mexican community, often called Chili Pasilla, which is wrong. If unavailable you can use Green Anaheims or Green New Mexico Chilis.

  5. Tomato Sauce:

      This should be a very simple tomato sauce. My favorite is Faraon Spanish Style, but other simple sauces will also work.

  6. Fish Stock:

      If you buy your fish whole, you can make this days ahead. If you don't have it, use 6 teaspoons Thai/Vietnamese Fish Sauce to 3 cups Water. There's plenty of Vietnamese refugees on the Gulf Coast, so it's "authentic". Another option (authentic in Galicia, Spain) is 1 cup White Wine, 2 cups Water, 1/2 cup Brandy.

  7. Do-Ahead:

      If doing much ahead, I shell and vein the Shrimp a day or few ahead and refreeze them. A couple of hours before finishing the recipe I thaw everything and cut Fish and Squid as needed. Cutting takes very little time and can be done just as the stock comes back to a boil. The seafood needs to be completely thawed before adding, but you can speed this up with a cool water thaw.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove, in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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