Seafood Stew With Saffron Infused Broth

PORTUGUESE FISH STEW (CALDEIRADA)

Steps:

• In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic, stirring until softened, fragrant and golden, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices. Cook until tomatoes soften, about 4 minutes.
• Add the white wine, and simmer until most has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add stock, fish sauce ( if using chicken broth), saffron, a pinch of ground clove or allspice, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, bay leaves and fresh thyme. Add potatoes and bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low heat until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add fish, bring to a simmer over medium heat, give a gentle stir ( don't over stir or fish will break apart) and cook fish until it is just cooked through about 3-4 minutes. Turn heat off.
• Taste broth. Adjust salt, adding more if necessary.
• Garnish with fresh torn Italian parsley leaves, lemon wedges, chili flakes and crusty bread.

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.

CLAMS AND WHITE FISH IN CARROT-SAFFRON BROTH

Steps:

• To bloom saffron, crush it in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt; transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon hot water; set aside. Rub orange zest over both sides of fish; season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
• Roughly chop dark-green parts of leek and half of fennel bulb. Place in a small saucepan; cover with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Strain; discard solids. Meanwhile, finely chop white and light-green parts of leek and remaining half of fennel bulb.
• Heat 1 tablespoon each oil and butter in a large straight-sided skillet (or large Dutch oven) over medium; add finely chopped leek and fennel and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and wine and cook until wine has evaporated, 1 minute.
• Add carrots, saffron mixture, clam juice, and 1 1/2 cups strained broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until carrots are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add clams, cover, and cook until all have opened, about 10 minutes more. Remove clams and transfer to a bowl (discarding any unopened ones); cover to keep warm.
• Add fish to skillet, cover, and simmer until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer fish to a plate. Stir remaining 2 tablespoons butter into broth; season lightly with salt and pepper. Return clams and fish to skillet; heat through, 30 seconds. Serve with bread and orange wedges.

SEAFOOD STEW WITH SAFFRON AND ROUILLE

Steps:

• Make the rouille. Preheat broiler. Cut the pepper into thick strips and place them face down on foil paper on a broiling rack. Broil until the skins are charred. Place in a closed paper bag for a few minutes, then peel off the skin.
• Put the pepper strips in the jar of a blender with bread crumbs, egg yolks and the garlic. Puree. Very gradually, little by little, add the olive oil until you have a thick, mayonaise-like sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a bowl and set aside.
• Meanwhile, put the potatoes on to boil. Rinse the leeks, slice them and rinse the slices carefully to remove any traces of grit.
• Bring the wine to boil, add the saffron and set aside. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy casserole and soften the leeks with the garlic. When soft, add the tomatoes, thyme and the saffron-white wine mixture. Cover and allow to simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, adding a little water or wine if it gets dry.
• Meanwhile, debeard the mussels and wash them thoroughly, discarding any that are open and refuse to close when tapped, or that are broken. Place the shrimp in a small bowl of cold water and add salt.
• Rinse the shrimp. Add the mussels, shrimp and scallops to the casserole. Cook until the mussels have opened (three to four minutes). Serve the stew in soup bowls, ladling on the sauce. Serve the potatoes and the rouille separately.

SEAFOOD IN SAFFRON BROTH

Steps:

• Trim fennel stalks flush with bulb, discarding stalks. Finely chop fennel and onion. Seed tomato and finely chop. Mince garlic. Scrub mussels well and remove beards. Shell shrimp and devein. Cut scrod into 1-inch pieces. Stir saffron into wine.
• In a 4-quart kettle cook fennel and onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine mixture and simmer until reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 3 minutes. Add mussels with 1/2 cup stock and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until most mussels are opened, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp, scrod, tomato, and remaining 2 1/2 cups stock and cook at a bare simmer until fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.) Season mixture with salt and pepper.
• Divide seafood between 2 bowls and ladle broth over it. Garnish seafood with lemon wedges and serve with bread.

SAFFRON-AND-ORANGE-SCENTED SEAFOOD STEW

Steps:

• In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. When it shimmers, add tomato paste and shrimp shells. Cook, stirring, until shells turn pink and opaque, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water and gently boil 5 minutes. Strain shrimp broth into a heatproof bowl; discard solids. Stir saffron into broth.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a braiser pan or wide, shallow pot over medium. Add celery, shallots, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and thyme. Cover and cook until tomatoes collapse and release their juices, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine and boil until mostly evaporated.
• Add clams to pan, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, covered, just until they begin to open, 6 to 8 minutes (discard any that don't open). Transfer clams to a large heatproof bowl and cover with a plate to keep warm. Add mussels to pan and cook, covered, just until they begin to open, about 5 minutes (discard any that don't open). Transfer mussels to bowl with clams.
• Add seafood stock, shrimp broth, and orange zest and juice to pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove about half of clams and two-thirds of mussels from their shells, reserving meat and juices and discarding empty shells.
• Stir shrimp and fish into pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, just until shrimp and fish are firm and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Return shelled and in-shell clams and mussels and any accumulated juices to pan, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, sprinkle with celery leaves and parsley, drizzle with more oil, and serve with bread, if desired.

SEAFOOD STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute the onion, red pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine or broth, oregano, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. , Add the clams, shrimp and scallops. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and scallops are opaque.

ANYTIME FISH AND SHELLFISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onions and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in garlic, bay leaf, thyme, saffron and red pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and tomatoes, and simmer 1 minute. Add stock and bring to a slow boil over medium. Add potatoes and a good pinch of salt. Adjust heat to a brisk simmer. Cook with lid ajar until potatoes are just done, about 10 minutes. Taste broth - it should be well seasoned - and adjust as necessary. (You can do this up to an hour ahead of time.)
• As the broth simmers, add the clams, and cook for 5 minutes, covered with the lid ajar. Add cod and mussels on top, cover and cook until the mussels are done, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and let the stew steep for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mussels and clams open. Serve in wide soup bowls.