Peruvian Seafood Stew

SEAFOOD STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot, add the onions, potatoes, fennel, salt, and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock, garlic, and saffron to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the shrimp, fish, and mussels, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes. The fish and shrimp should be cooked and the mussels opened. Discard any mussels that don't open. Stir in the Pernod, orange zest, and salt, to taste. Serve ladled over 1 or 2 slices of toasted baguette.;
• Warm the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1¿2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. If not, you can make up the difference with water or white wine.

PERUVIAN SUDADO DE PESCADO (PERUVIAN FISH STEW)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until slightly crispy. Add garlic and continue cooking until golden brown, about 1 minute. Stir in aji amarillo paste and cook for 1 minute.
• Add wine and cook until reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Add fish stock and 1/2 cup tomatoes; stir to combine. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Season halibut and shrimp with salt and pepper. Add halibut to skillet, gently pushing down, but not covering, with sauce. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and add shrimp. Cover and continue cooking until fish is opaque, and shrimp is cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Add remaining cup of tomatoes and peas; cook until vegetables are heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer fish to a large serving platter, and spoon sauce over fish. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.

CHEF JOHN'S BRAZILIAN FISH STEW

Steps:

• Bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook and stir just until onions start to get soft, 3 or 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Continue cooking about 3 minutes. Pour in coconut milk and add soy sauce. When mixture starts to bubble, let it simmer about 5 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and green onions. Let mixture come back to a simmer. Transfer fish to skillet; stir. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until fish starts to flake, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add salt, cilantro, and lime juice; stir carefully to avoid breaking up the fish. Serve with rice.

CHUPE (PERUVIAN SHRIMP CHOWDER)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet over low heat; cover bottom evenly with onion. Sprinkle with salt and cook, without stirring, until onion is very tender and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Stir in butternut squash and garlic; season with pepper. Cook until squash begins to soften, about 15 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Pour chicken stock into the pan and bring to a boil while scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low and stir in corn, peas, and rice. Cover and simmer until rice is cooked, 10 to 20 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer until they are bright pink on the outside and opaque, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in feta cheese, brine, and milk. Let feta melt a bit and serve immediately.