Seafood Stew

This stunning dish is simple enough for weeknight meals, yet it’s elegant enough to serve weekend guests.

By: Jodie Shield, RDN

There’s something fishy about this stew, and it’s not the seafood. Sure it’s stocked with steamed clams, mussels and bay scallops, but the surprise star-ingredient is chorizo. Chorizo is a spicy Mexican sausage with an ample amount of heat. It gives the broth a rich, smokey flavor that compliments the fresh shellfish. It’s my new favorite recipe from JeanMarie Brownson’s cookbook Dinner at Home: 140 Recipes to Enjoy with Family and Friends. I’ve worked with JeanMarie for many years, first when she was the test kitchen director at the Chicago Tribune, and now analyzing recipes for her Tribune Dinner at Home column. JeanMarie suggested making the stew with 1 can (15 ounces) of large white beans in place of the bay scallops. So I did and it was fabulous! I also went ahead and used the whole can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes and left out the salt – which nobody noticed. In fact, according to my family, this recipe is a keeper!

Stay tuned to my blog! Each month I will be featuring some of JeanMarie’s fabulous recipes from her Dinner at Home cookbook and I’m adding them to my iTunes recipe app Time To Eat Healthy.

Seafood Stew

6 servings

Prep Time = 45 minutes

Cooking Time = 55 minutes

Ingredients:

8 ounces hearty French bread, cut into cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil

Sweet or smoked paprika

¾ teaspoon salt (optional)

12 ounces uncooked Mexican-style pork chorizo, removed from casing

1 small red onion, diced

1 small red bell pepper, seed, diced

3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup dry white wine, dry sparkling wine or cava, or dry vermouth

½ of a 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid

2 cups chicken broth

2 pounds fresh little neck clams, scrubbed

2 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed, debearded

1 pound bay scallops, patted dry

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Green onions, chopped Fresh lime wedges

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Put bread cubes onto large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with paprika and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bake, stirring often, until golden and crispy about 20 minutes. Cool. (Croutons will keep a couple of day wrapped in foil).
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in bottom of large (5- to 6-quart) Dutch oven. Add chorizo, onion and bell pepper. Cook, breaking up chorizo into small bits with wooden spatula, until chorizo is cooked through and lightly browned, 12-14 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in wine; boil to reduce it slightly, 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and broth; simmer 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt, about ½ teaspoon depending on broth.
4. Add clams; cover pot and cook until a few clams have opened, 3-4 minutes. Add mussels; cover pot and cook until a few mussels have opened, about 2 minutes. Add scallops; cover pot and cook until all clams and mussels are opened, usually 2 minutes more. (Add white beans here if not using scallops).
5. To serve, ladle into deep bowls (discard any clams or mussels that have refused to open) spooning plenty of broth over all. Top with cilantro, onion, and crouton. Pass lime wedges to squeeze over all.

Nutritional Information per Serving (1 cup): 592 calories, 44 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrate, 31 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, 104 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams fiber, 1,420 milligrams sodium

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