Spicy Seafood Stew
Cayenne pepper and chorizo sausage add a lively kick to this seafood stew. Widely used in Mexican and Spanish cooking, chorizo is a highly seasoned, coarsely ground pork sausage. The Mexican version is made with fresh pork, while Spanish chorizo is smoked. Use the Spanish variety for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. chorizo sausage, cut into 1⁄2-inch rounds
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
crosswise - 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1⁄4 cup dry vermouth
- 1 Tbs. tomato paste
- 1⁄4 tsp. saffron threads
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
- 1 orange zest strip, 2 inches long and 1 inch
wide - 1 1⁄2 lb. halibut fillets, cut into strips 1 1⁄2
inches thick - 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb. mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- Salt, to taste
- 1⁄4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1⁄4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 10 crostini rubbed with garlic
Directions
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate; set aside.
Add the onion, fennel and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vermouth and simmer until reduced to about 1 Tbs., about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and saffron threads.
Return the sausage to the pan. Add the stock, tomatoes and orange zest and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the halibut, stir gently, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and mussels, stir gently, cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque and the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Discard any mussels that did not open. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
Ladle the stew into warmed bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve immediately with the garlic crostini. Serves 10.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate; set aside.
Add the onion, fennel and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vermouth and simmer until reduced to about 1 Tbs., about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and saffron threads.
Return the sausage to the pan. Add the stock, tomatoes and orange zest and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the halibut, stir gently, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and mussels, stir gently, cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque and the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Discard any mussels that did not open. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
Ladle the stew into warmed bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve immediately with the garlic crostini. Serves 10.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen