As the holidays roll around, SNP Ambassador Barton Seaver makes a big pot of seafood stew in the Italian Christmas tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes. This stew provides a wonderful opportunity for my family to sample a wide diversity of seafood.
1/2 pound medium sized (U20) dry packed scallops | |
1/2 pound skinless salmon, cut into 1 1/2-ounce pieces | |
1/2 pound white fleshed fish, cut into 1 1/2-ounce pieces | |
Kosher salt | |
1 tablespoon olive oil | |
1 cup seafood stock or water | |
12 hard shell clams, scrubbed | |
2 pounds mussels, cleaned | |
½ of 2-ounce tin of anchovies, chopped, oil reserved | |
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced into ¾-inch pieces | |
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped | |
1 fennel bulb, cored and sliced | |
1 teaspoon orange zest | |
1 teaspoon red chile pepper flakes | |
1 cinnamon stick | |
1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes | |
1 pound peeled shrimp |
Recipe developed by SNP Ambassador Barton Seaver
1. | Season scallops, salmon and flaky white fish with salt and set aside for 20 minutes. |
2. | In a large, wide pan over medium high heat, add olive oil. When oil is hot enough to shimmer, add scallops to the pan, keeping ample space between them. Sear until they develop a golden-brown crust on one side, about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. |
3. | Add stock or water and clams to the pan. Cover, raise heat to high, and steam until clams are open, 5-7 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. Add scallops, cover, and cook until they open, (3-4 minutes). Turn off heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove mussels from the pan and set them aside. Drain cooking liquid through a fine-meshed sieve and set it aside. |
4. | Add oil from anchovies to the pan and place it over medium high heat. Add squash and sauté until squash caramelizes slightly, about 4 minutes. Stir in chopped anchovies and cook until dissolved, about two minutes. Add chopped garlic, fennel and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Add tomatoes, strained shellfish broth, chile pepper flakes and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until butternut I just tender and sauce has thickened slightly, 12-15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. |
5. | On one side of the pan, nestle all pieces of salmon into the sauce. On the other side of the pan, nestle all pieces of flaky white fish into the sauce. In the middle nestle the shrimp into the pan. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until shrimp are pink and fishes are opaque, 7-8 minutes. Uncover, nestle scallops, clams and mussels into the pan. Serve hot, in pan, with crusty bread. |
Leave a Reply