Best Old Stone Fish Stew Recipes

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large stockpot, add onions, garlic and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.
• Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you add them). Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, water and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and crabmeat. Stir in fish, if desired. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams open. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread!

GRANDMA'S STONE SOUP STEW

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch with a lid oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the meat generously on all sides with salt and pepper and, working in batches if necessary, add to the pan. Sear the meat until it is well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Use tongs to help rotate the pieces of meat and remove them to a plate as they are seared. Set meat aside.
• Add the onions and peppers to the same Dutch oven and cook until the vegetables start to become tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, the onions and peppers have softened completely and most of the moisture has evaporated, another 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic, paprika and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Return the seared meat to the pot along with the root vegetables and sliced salami; stir well. Add the chicken broth and increase the heat to high to bring the stew to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat and vegetables are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and red-wine vinegar, and continue cooking until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork and the cauliflower is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with toasted rustic bread brushed with olive oil and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA FISH STEW

Steps:

• Cut the bacon slices into 1-inch squares. Brown them in the bottom of a 10-to-12-quart stockpot over medium heat. Once bacon is crisp, remove it and reserve, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Whisk the tomato paste into the fat, making sure you scrape up all the brown bits left from browning the bacon.
• Turn the heat off and begin layering the ingredients in the stockpot. Start with a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of onions and garlic, followed by a layer of fish. Top the fish with roughly a third of the salt, a third of the chile flakes and 1 bay leaf. Repeat this layering process two more times.
• Fill the pot with enough cool water to just barely reach the top of the fish. (If there's a little fish peeking out over the top, that's O.K. - better than if it's swimming in water.) Cover the pot with a tightfitting lid and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (Throughout the cooking, resist the urge to stir.) Once it starts to boil, reduce heat and let it cook, covered, at a high simmer for about 15 minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness. They should be barely tender, not falling apart.
• Use a large spoon to remove the fat from the surface of the soup, and discard. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed. Then, with the stew at a good simmer, add the eggs one by one in a single layer over the top. (Crack each egg into a small cup before dropping it in.) Cook the eggs for 5 minutes until they are lightly set.
• As soon as the eggs are lightly set, use a large ladle to portion out the stew. A proper serving is at least half a fish steak, some potatoes, some onions and an egg swimming in broth. Shower each bowl with bacon, and serve immediately with a piece or two of bread, if desired.

FISHERMAN'S STEW

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and water in a measuring cup or bowl. Puree using an immersion blender until smooth.
• Cut sea bass into roughly 1 1/2-inch chunks to match the other seafood in size. Place fish, shrimp, calamari, mussels, and clams in individual dishes so they're ready to use.
• Melt butter and olive oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel, garlic, and salt; cook and stir until garlic takes on color, about 1 minute. Stir in white wine. Let simmer until reduced by about 1/2, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomato broth base; bring to a boil. Continue to boil until fennel is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Stir in parsley, bass, shrimp, and calamari. Add clams and mussels. Cover, increase heat to high, and cook until clam and mussel shells open and fish, shrimp, and calamari are opaque, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to warm serving bowls. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds and serve.

TUSCAN FISH STEW

Steps:

• Puree cherry tomatoes and clam juice in a blender until smooth. Press mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
• Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, green onions, garlic, anchovy, and 1 pinch red pepper flakes in a cold plan. Place over medium heat. Cook and stir until garlic and onions just start to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer stew until color deepens, about 10 minutes.
• Add halibut and shrimp to the stew. Season with salt. Increase heat to high. Cover pan and cook until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, basil, oregano, and rosemary. Pour stew into a warm bowl. Drizzle in remaining olive oil and sprinkle 1 pinch red pepper flakes on top. Serve with crusty bread.