Sustainable seafood stew
This recipe guides you through creating a vibrant and aromatic sustainable seafood stew. It features a rich base of sautéed onions, fennel, garlic, and chili, infused with saffron, white wine, diced tomatoes, and fish stock. Various seafood, including baby squid, prawns, pipis, mussels, and baby octopus, are added and gently cooked to perfection, finished with fresh lemon juice and orange rind.
Equipment
- 1 Large stockpot or Dutch oven Essential for simmering the stew.
- 1 Chef's knife For all chopping and preparation of ingredients.
- 1 Cutting Board For safe and efficient ingredient preparation.
- 1 Wooden Spoon or Spatula For stirring and sautéing without scratching the pot.
- 1 Measuring Cups and Spoons For accurate ingredient measurement.
Ingredients
Main
- 4 cleaned baby squid hoods 480g
- 2 baby fennel bulbs 260g
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium brown onions 300g, chopped finely
- 4 clove garlic crushed
- 3 x 5cm pieces orange rind
- 1 fresh long red chilli chopped finely
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1/3 cup 80ml dry white wine
- 800 gram canned diced tomatoes
- 1 litre fish stock
- 1 kilogram large uncooked prawns shrimp, peeled, deveined, with tails intact
- 200 gram pipis scrubbed
- 250 gram small black mussels scrubbed, beard removed
- 200 gram baby octopus cleaned
- 2 tablespoon thin strips orange rind extra
Instructions
- Prepare all seafood: Clean and slice baby squid hoods. Peel and devein prawns, leaving tails intact. Thoroughly scrub pipis and mussels, removing any beards from mussels. Clean baby octopus.
- Finely chop brown onions, crush garlic, and finely chop the long red chili. Thinly slice the baby fennel bulbs.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and fennel, cooking until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic, finely chopped chili, and the 3x5cm pieces of orange rind to the pot. Cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the dry white wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Add diced tomatoes, fish stock, and saffron threads.
- Bring the stew to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
- Add the cleaned baby squid and baby octopus to the simmering stew. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until they are just tender.
- Increase the heat slightly. Add the prawns, pipis, and mussels to the pot. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until prawns are pink and cooked through, and pipis and mussels have opened. Discard any unopened shells.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Taste the stew and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the hot sustainable seafood stew into bowls and garnish each serving with the extra thin strips of orange rind before serving.
Notes
To extract maximum flavor and color from saffron, 'bloom' the threads by steeping them in a tablespoon or two of warm white wine or stock for a few minutes before adding to the stew base. For the orange rind, use a vegetable peeler to get thin strips, avoiding the bitter white pith. Add seafood in stages; the baby squid and baby octopus should cook until just tender (5-7 minutes), while prawns, pipis, and mussels cook very quickly (3-5 minutes) to avoid overcooking and a rubbery texture. Taste and adjust seasoning at the end, considering a touch more lemon juice or a pinch of salt to brighten flavors.