By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorgan@yahoo.ca
SUMMER SEAFOOD STEW
Summer is the perfect time for light and casual dishes that take little time to prepare and use only the freshest summer ingredients. Most important these dishes should be able to make largely ahead of time and can be served in very casual settings.
can think of no better dish that exemplifies the best of summer vegetables and seafood. This dish was developed largely in the Mediterranean in the late 128900’s by Italian fishermen who eventually immigrated to the San Francisco area.(1) A seafood stew for sure it was and is more commonly called Cioppino. Its name comes from the Ligurian dialect of the Italian port city of Genoa. The dish was originally prepared at sea on the fishing boats but has since found its way onto many restaurant menus and now, thanks to this recipe which I have used many times over the years, it can now make its way onto your summer menus.
The choice of seafood is up to you but make sure it is the freshest you can lay your hands on. Make the broth ahead of time and just add the seafood I just before serving as it takes very little time to cook. The final piece de resistance of the drizzle of olive oil should come from the best and fruitiest olive oil you can find (splurge a little and buy an expensive bottle just for these special occasions…it makes all the difference believe me!)……Enjoy!
(1) wikipedia
Ingredients
- Ingredients: 8 oz chorizo
- 2 cups finely diced fennel
- 1 cup finely sliced leek white part only
- 4 garlic cloves,roughly diced
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 C dry white wine
- 4 Cups fish stock
- 2 medium tomatoes- diced
- 8 oz firm fish of your choice
- 1 lb mussels
- 1 lb large prawns, raw, peeled and de-veined
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 1/3 C chopped flat leaf parsley
- lemon
- 1 Cup of Cannellini Beans
- salt to taste
- drizzle olive oil (good quality one!)
- Crusty Bread
Instructions:
In a large heavy bottom deep skillet or Dutch oven, brown chorizo in a little olive oil. (Remove from casing and break up or crumble into small bite size pieces). Once browned, set aside. Pour off the fat, wipe out skillet with paper towel.
In same skillet, heat 2 T olive oil on medium high heat. Add fennel, stirring often for about 3 minutes. Add leeks, turn heat down to med and saute both until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts turn golden. Add tomato paste. Turn heat up to high, constantly stirring, until paste darkens, about 3 more minutes. You are basically frying the paste to deepen the flavour of the dish.
Add white wine and turn heat down to medium high, stirring until it mostly evaporates, about 1-2 minutes. Add fish stock, tomatoes, browned chorizo and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, taste for salt.. Add cracked pepper. Add fish, simmer a couple minutes and add prawns, simmer a couple minutes, then add mussels. Remember the larger the prawns or mussels or fish pieces the longer they take to cook, so look at all your seafood ingredients and determine which will take the longest to cook, putting them in first. Add in canned cannellini beans.
Finish with a squeeze of a half a lemon and sprinkle generously with flat leaf parsley.
Serve with crusty bread. and drizzle stew with olive oil.
