Seafood Stew with Cream, Fennel & Garlic Recipe

Now this, my friends, is my kind of dinner. As I was preparing this, I couldn’t wait to finish up so I could eat it. It’s always challenging enough as I’m taking pictures of some of these recipes, but I think this takes the cake. This seafood stew looks just awesome.

The Recipe

For some strange reason, I’ve always been intimidated by seafood stew. Actually, I think I’ve been intimidated by a lot of seafood dishes. I’m guessing this is because of the precise cooking times necessary for many types of fish. Too little time, it comes out raw. Too much time, well, we’ve all probably been down that road. Dry or tough fish. That’s no fun.

I was surprised at how easy it is to make this stew. Really, it’s just a matter of softening up some flavorful vegetables, adding some stock, cream, water and a few other things. Then, add in the mussels and the cod and it’s all set. There is some prep work, but it’s not extensive at all. Do like Laura does – put some headphones on and prep to music.

We both loved this dish last night. It’s rich, has a lot of flavor and it’s really filling. Since I added two pounds of mussels, we both had plenty of them. I also added a pound and a half of cod, so we were happy in that department as well. And the best part is, we have some left over for tonight, so I’m definitely excited for that.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

3 Tablespoons Butter
1 Large Onion, Chopped
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
1 Fennel Bulb, Sliced
5 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds, Crushed
1 Cup Dry White Wine
3 Cups Vegetable Broth
3 Cups Water
2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 1/2 Pounds Cod Fillet, Cut Into 2 Inch Pieces
2 Pounds Mussels, Cleaned

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Curtis Stone lately. I’m so glad I recently picked his cookbook back up and purchased a new one called Good Food, Good Life. This recipe is from that one. Well, something similar is from Curtis. I changed things up a small bit to fit my tastes. Among other things, his recipe calls for a pound of Manila clams. Since my local grocery store didn’t have any of them, I went with two pounds of mussels. You can’t go wrong with that.

The best part of this recipe is that you can substitute with a wide variety of seafood. Add in lobster, different types of clams and crab meat. Also, just as Curtis suggested, grab some bread because you’re going to have a lot of dipping opportunities after you’ve eaten all the good stuff in the bowl. You’ll want to soak up the rest of the liquid with the bread.

Soften Vegetables

You’ll need a large pot for this recipe. I used my Lodge Dutch oven because it’s huge. Go with something that’s at least 8 quarts in volume.

Warm the pot over medium heat. Then, add the butter and let it melt. Add in the onion, celery, fennel, garlic, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes and fennel seeds and cook, while stirring, for about 15 minutes or until everything begins to soften.

Add Liquids

Next, add the wine and let simmer for 5 minutes. Then, add the vegetable stock and the water, bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer for another 20 minutes.

After that, add in the cream, stir and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add Seafood

Finally, add in the mussels and the cod pieces. Mix the seafood into the hot liquid and bring to a simmer again. Let everything cook for about 5 minutes or until the mussels have opened and the cod is cooked through. This really doesn’t take very long, but just be sure everything is cooked before you turn off the heat.

When finished, use a large spoon to scoop some stew out and place into bowls to serve. Use some of the fennel fronds as garnish if you wish.

The Final Stew

This dish is a big win. I’m so excited I made it because I get to look for similar recipes for the future. Either that, or I’ll use the same recipe and modify it like I mentioned above. Anyway, give this one a try and let me know what you think of it. Thanks for reading!