Seafood Stew

Are you like me…a push-over for a food magazine? I never met one I didn’t like and rarely pass one on the shelf that I don’t pick up and glance through. More often than not, they come right on home with me. I can sit and read them for hours. So, when I picked up a magazine and saw this seafood stew recipe following our recent Savannah trip and all the wonderful seafood we had there on the coast, I knew I had to make this right away. And I’m so glad I did. It’s one of those perfect recipes – quick, easy and you probably have most of the ingredients right in your refrigerator and pantry.

One more tidbit about Savannah. If you like Greek food (and we definitely do!) try Olympia Cafe on River Street. Oh. My. Goodness. We ate there on Sunday night. BeeBop had the Spanikopita and I had one of the daily specials. It was red snapper with a lemon-butter-garlic-caper sauce. My word. I all but picked up the plate and licked it. And if everyone in there had just turned their backs for a minute, I might have given that a try. I must try to recreate that dish soon. If I can just find some red snapper around here!

But back to the seafood stew. This was absolutely delicious and perfect for a cool evening with a lovely fire going in the fireplace. I served it with some bacon-cheddar biscuits. That recipe will be coming up in a few days. If you want to try this stew for your family, here’s what you’ll need:

2 tsp. olive oil
1 large green or yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
14 1/2 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup spicy V-8 juice
1 lb. shelled and deveined medium shrimp
10 oz. cod fillet, cut into 1-inch chunks

Prep the bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic.

Peel and devein the shrimp and cut the cod into one-inch pieces.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add pepper, celery and onion and cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 6 minutes or until softened and lightly browned. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in stewed tomatoes, vegetable juice, water and salt. Cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Gently stir in cod and shrimp. Cover saucepot and simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until cod and shrimp just turn opaque throughout.

Enjoy!

Download a printable copy here.

–Recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping’s Comfort Food.

Tagged as: bell pepper, cod, cooking, entrees, fish, Food, Main Dishes, onion, recipes, seafood, shrimp, soup, stew, tomatoes