Anytime Fish and Shellfish Stew Recipe (2024)

I’m cheating a bit here because I fixed this last week before the recipe was published. Unfortunately, I had no shellfish, just some cod I needed to use, but I was hungry for soup and just started tossing. The only thing I didn’t think of was a bay leaf; the only substitution was chicken broth (had no fish stock and wasn’t sure water would create enough flavor). Oh, and I was pretty heavy-handed with the saffron. It was just wonderful!! Do try it, if only as a starting point. You won’t be sorry.

It also needs fennel, and/or a dash of pernod. Julia adds a strip of orange peel, a great idea.

Free fish stock: When you peel shrimp to make your next shrimp dish, place the shells in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer on low for less than an hour — until the stock turns pink. You can add aromatics — onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns, as for other stocks, but it also works fine without. Strain and cool the resulting liquor and freeze it in a zip-lock bag. Use whenever fish stock is called for. You will be pleased at the rich flavor it adds.

A little extra dry vermouth is also good in fish stock. Warning though - don't store too long in freezer. It can go bad, and bad fish stock is a curse that sticks around for awhile!

A couple tbs of butter as a way to capture some additional flavors from the shellfish.

David does it again! This was delightful - no clams or mussels as it was a last minute decision to make this, had cod on hand, and didn't miss the shells at all. Only had a small pinch of saffron but it was enough, and used bottled clam broth which worked just fine. Loved it, will do again (and again and again!). Be sure to have some good crusty bread to sop up some of the broth.

I made this mostly as presented and it was fantastic - I might have used a little extra saffron and I used low sodium vegetable stock and added salt to taste. Great recipe!

Made on Sat night with some fresh fish, prawns and mussels from fish monger. Very heavy handed on anchovies and red pepper flakes. It was spicy, delicious and filling. Highly recommend!

Delicious. Don't be shy with the salt and spices. If this turned out bland, YOU didn't season it well enough.

I made a simple vegetable stock since I had nothing else. Two suggestions - cook the potatoes a bit longer and the cod a little less. As others have suggested anchovies early on after the onions would have been a nice addition.

Very tasty but needed more umami. I would suggest crushing a couple anchovies before you add tomatoes & wine. Water is not enough as a stock to produce the oomph you want! Chicken stock or clam juice would do it. I added a couple of T. of parsley at the end.

I have made this recipe on many occasions. I substitute canned artichoke hearts for the potatoes in an effort to lower the carbs. Silly I know, but the artichokes are really good in this soup. I also put in sea scallops in that I rarely have clams or mussels.

I had no fish stock or clam broth but I did have halibut I needed to cook so, with some trepidation, I made it with water, and I needn't have worried: it was great. Light and subtle (don't expect bold flavor) but with all the seasonings and dry white wine it was balanced and delicious. Next time I'll probably skip the clam broth/stock even if I have it and enjoy this for what it is -- a lovely, light-but-satisfying stew.

Surprisingly bland. Disappointed. A week ago I made a similar Sicilian seafood dish from NYT with calamari that was excellent. I wonder if some anchovies would have helped this dish.

This is a very simple, nourishing and delicious recipe that can be tweaked to whatever shellfish and fish you have on hand. A little lighter than a stew, more soupy. Goes great with crusty bread.

Wonderful recipe. As is wonderful. I added chorizo and decreased tomatoes. Used a bit more wine. Added orange peel, finished with butter. I’m also lucky all ingredients from Portland, Maine fish store and farmers market!

This has become a regular in our dinner rotations and has actually led to us eating more fish which is great. I don’t always have all ingredients but the base idea of broth, saffron, tomatoes and potatoes is good for building on. I add paprika and Aleppo pepper and sometimes throw in diced carrots to up the veg and make it a one pot dish

We found the broth a tad bland until we added 10 oz clam juice, another 1/4 cup white wine and some white wine vinegar. Loved it.

Fantastic if you use homemade fish stock. I added fennel, carrots, flounder, shrimp, and diced smoke salmon (in place of bacon).

I made half the amount for 2 people, using cod, Littlenecks (cherrystones were not available in Feb.) and mussels. I increased the portion of wine, garlic, and saffron a little, and put in an extra T of olive oil. We're close to the bay, and we eat a lot of seafood. This is an easy recipe and absolutely delicious!

Lovely as written, could add about a third of a pound of squid.

We enjoyed this, but we would use less potato next time.