Remy's Tuscan Seafood Stew

Dreary January calls for a big pot of stew simmering on the stove, and after the meat-heavy fare of the holidays, Remy’s Kitchen and Wine Bar’s Tuscan Seafood Stew is just the thing: Seafood keeps things light, onion and garlic lend robust flavor, and a spicy tomato broth adds heat to chilly winter days.

Tuscan Seafood Stew
Courtesy of Remy’s Kitchen and Wine Bar’s Lisa Slay

½ cup olive oil
½ cup diced red onion
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1½ lbs. assorted fish such as halibut, salmon and mahi mahi, cut into pieces
½ lb. squid tubes, cut into ¼-inch rings
8 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 mussels
½ cup white wine
3 cups spicy tomato broth (recipe follows)
1 cup vegetable stock
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Chopped parsley

• In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil. Add the red onion and garlic and sauté until softened.

• Add the fish, squid, shrimp and mussels and sauté briefly. Season with salt and pepper, then deglaze the pot with the wine.

• Add the spicy tomato broth and the vegetable stock, cover the pot and simmer until all of the seafood is cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes. 

• To serve, ladle the stew into bowls and sprinkle each with parsley.

Spicy Tomato Broth

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
½ red onion, sliced
6 large tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ cup red wine
4 cups vegetable stock
½ tsp. red chile flakes
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

• In a large stock pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and tomatoes and sauté until the onions begin to brown.

• Add the garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes.

• Deglaze the pot with the red wine, then add the vegetable stock.

• Add the chile flakes and cayenne and simmer for 30 minutes. 

• Allow the broth to cool, then purée it in batches in a blender or food processor.