Stew brings together a variety of sustainable seafood options
Sustainable fish and seafood swim in a sea of tomato-based stock to create this tasty, slightly spicy stew.
Mussels average $3 a pound at most seafood counters, with the farmed variety rated as one of the most sustainable seafood choices available.
The best environmentally conscious choices remain handline-caught Atlantic or Alaskan cod and trawl-caught Texas brown or Carolina white shrimp.
If sustainably caught fish and shrimp are not sold at the seafood counter in your grocery store, check in the frozen section; just make sure to thaw before using.
Start by sautéing vegetables, then add tomatoes and stock. After Ivan Mattsson, Seattle Fish Co.’s account specialist and former Westport PotPie chef, added seafood to the hot liquid, this dish was ready to feed a crowd within 10 minutes.
A tip for preparation: Seafood stock is available at supermarkets alongside chicken and vegetable stock. You can also try using leftover octopus stock from Grilled Galician Octopus Salad.
Fresh from Seattle Fish Co.
Home cooks can buy fish and seafood direct from Seattle Fish Co.’s warehouse: Order 24 hour in advance during office business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a 10-pound minimum. 816-920-7070. The warehouse is at 4300 N. Mattox Road in Riverside.
Spicy Seafood Stew
Make 8 to 10 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, washed and diced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red onion, peeled and minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 fennel bulb, washed, halved and shaved on mandolin
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
4 cups seafood stock
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, original
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes and their liquid; cut tomatoes into bize-size pieces
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound new or Peruvian purple potatoes, scrubbed clean, parboiled and quartered
1 pound handline-caught Alaskan or Atlantic cod, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound Prince Edward Island mussels, scrubbed clean and beards removed
1 pound large (16 to 20) trawl-caught Texas brown or Carolina white shrimp, deveined and peeled, leaving tails intact
Warm oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat on stovetop. Add celery, carrots, onion, green pepper, fennel and garlic to pot and sauté about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until vegetables are soft and fragrant.
Turn heat down to medium and stir in tomato paste, making sure all vegetables are evenly coated. Stir in seafood stock, tomatoes with green chilies, stewed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Before adding seafood, bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Add parboiled potatoes, cod, mussels and shrimp to pot.
Place lid tightly on pot and boil for about 5 to 7 minutes, at which time the cod will flake easily, shrimp will turn pink and mussels will have opened. If a mussel has not opened after boiling for the allotted time, discard it. Remove and discard bay leaves.
Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.
Per serving, based on 8: 307 calories (27 percent from fat), 9 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 110 milligrams cholesterol, 31 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams protein, 876 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.
This story was originally published March 12, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Stew brings together a variety of sustainable seafood options."