Fish Stew
“I love fish,” says actor and cookbook author Stanley Tucci. “I love stew. I love fish stew.” This version—stufato di pesce—is Italian in origin, but Tucci adds a little saffron as an homage to a French bouillabaisse.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 1 to 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 to 2 dried pepperoncini
- Pinch of saffron
- 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) dry white wine
- 2 cups (12 oz./375 g) chopped fresh tomatoes
- 3 fresh basil leaves
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (32 oz./1 l) fish stock, hot
- 6 scallops
- 10 ounces (315 g) cod, cut into 3-inch (7.5 cm) cubes
- 10 ounces (315 g) grouper, cut into 3-inch (7.5 cm) cubes
- 12 clams
- 12 mussels
- 12 large shrimp, tails left on
- 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Toasted baguette, for serving
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Directions
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, shallot, garlic, peperoncini, and saffron and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the white wine, raise the heat to high, and cook until the alcohol has burned off. Lower the heat to medium-high, add the tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium and add the stock. Stir the mixture together and bring to a low bubble. (If you worry that the fish stock is too fishy, you can add some chicken broth.)
Add the scallops, cod and grouper to the pot and simmer, covered, for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not stir. Then add the clams and mussels and cover the pot again. Once they begin to open, add the shrimp. Simmer until the shrimp turn pink. Add the parsley and serve immediately with some of the toasted baguette drizzled with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil. Serves 4 to 6
Recipe adapted from The Tucci Table, by Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt, with Kay Plunkett-Hogge (Gallery Books, 2014)