Bowl of Fish & Shellfish Stew
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Fish & Shellfish Stew


Spain - Galicia   -   Caldereta de Pescados y Mariscos Romesco de Peix
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 10 cups
***
2 hr
Part		 A stew once made by fishermen at sea (replaced by pizza) and enhanced for home and restaurant service. Can be made mostly ahead.




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Fish Fillet (1)
Shrimp (2)
Clam Meat (3)
Potatoes (4)
Tomatoes
Onion
Garlic
Bell Pepper
Wine (5)
Water
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Brandy (6)
-- Garnish
Parsley flat
-- Serve With
Crusty Bread (7)
Prep   -   (65 min)
  1. Peel POTATOES and cut into 1/2 inch cubes or as desired. Place in a saucepan with water to cover, bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. This prevents acid in the wine from hardening the potatoes.
  2. Cut FISH FILETS into bite size pieces.
  3. Thaw and shell SHRIMP. If very large cut in half crosswise. Thaw CLAM meats. Mix.
  4. Scald TOMATOES in boiling water 1 minute, chill in cold water. Peel and chop medium.
  5. Peel ONION and quarter lengthwise. Slice fairly thin crosswise.
  6. Crush GARLIC and chop fine.
  7. (optional) Blast BELL PEPPER black with your Kitchen Torch and brush the skin off under running water.
  8. Slice BELL PEPPER into 1/2 inch dice (can be larger if torched).
  9. Chop PARSLEY small for Garnish.
Run   -   (55 min)
  1. in a pot (3 quart) heat Olive Oil over moderate flame. Stir in Onion and Bell Pepper. Fry stirring until it Onion is translucent.
  2. Stir in Garlic and fry stirring for about 1 minute, then stir in the Tomatoes. Fry over moderate heat, stirring often until liquid is almost gone.
  3. Stir in Wine, Water, Potatoes, Salt, Pepper, and Sugar (skip if using Sherry). Bring back to a boil and simmer about 15 minutes.
  4. Heat BRANDY in a small pan and flame it off (carefully). When the flames have died, pour it into the pot.
  5. IF Making Ahead , stop here. When serving time is near, bring back to a boil and continue (see Do Ahead).
  6. Stir Fish Pieces into the stock for 1 minute. Stir in Shellfish mix for 1 minute, and take off the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes. or so.
  7. Serve hot, garnished with Parsley.
  8. 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 Monkfish but allows other firm fish. Monkfish is expensive and not common here. Europeans should not be eating Monkfish as the European Monkfish is threatened. Just for me I may use Tilapia, but for guests probably 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. Shrimp:

      [GB "Prawns"]   In Europe, they will often toss them in shell-on, or even head-on, but that makes eating more messy, so I definitely wouldn't do that for a buffet party.

  3. Clam Meat:

      The pattern recipe calls for small Scallops, but I never have those in stock, so I do what the fishermen would do, use what you have. Baby Squid, Squid Rings, or Baby Octopus would work fine.

  4. Potatoes:

      I use Red Potatoes which cook tender quit quickly, but White Rose type can also be used. For details see our Potatoes page.

  5. Wine:

      The pattern recipe calls for "Dry White Wine or Oloroso Sherry". This is a very wide range, so use whatever you want. Oloroso is a long aged Sherry, so quite expensive, but an Amontillado (a little lighter in flavor and color), which can be had economically from Trader Joe's is certainly good enough for cooking.

  6. Brandy:

      The pattern recipe calls for "Cognac or other Brandy". I use a 5 year Armenian Brandy, which is economical and works just fine, and is what I always have on hand (I live across the street from Glendale, CA, the Western Capital of Armenia).

  7. Bread:

      The pattern recipe calls for "Toasted and brushed with Olive Oil". A little fancy, but if you have time . . .

  8. Do-Ahead:

      If doing much ahead, delay preparing the seafood items until final steps. These take very little time and can be done at the time 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.
  9. 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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