Suquet de Pescados (Catalan Seafood Stew) #FishFridayFoodies

It's time for Fish Friday Foodies' September event. We are a group of seafood-loving bloggers, rallied by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, to share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month. 

This is, easily, my favorite recipe sharing event of the month. I always come away with a list of recipes that I just have to try!

And this month, I am hosting. I urged my blogger friends: "Bring your favorite seafood stew to Fish Friday Foodies for our September event. Think Cioppino, Moqueca, or anything else that has CHUNKY seafood in a broth or sauce."

The Other Stews

An InLinkz Link-up

Suquet de Pescados

So, I ended up scheduling this for dinner on a day when I left work early. Not for fun. I was sick. My nose was running and I had a raging headache. I hate that first cold of the year. Ugh. I just wanted to sit on my bean bag with a mug of tea and watch a movie. But I had the ingredients calling to me and you just don't waste two pounds of fresh halibut, right? So, I hoisted myself from the living room and made this for dinner. The boys loved it and kept slurping through spoon after spoon: "Sorry you can't taste this because it's really, really good." Nice.

Ingredients

Topping

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 to 1/3 C ground almonds
• 1/4 C fresh parsley
• olive oil

Stew

• 1 tomato, cubed
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced (approximately 1-1/2 C)
• 1 C diced celery
• 2 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 t saffron threads
• 2 C fish stock
• 4 C vegetable broth
• 1 C Cava or sparkling wine
• 2 pounds fish, cubed (I used a local, wild halibut)
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Procedure

Topping

Pulse all the ingredients in a food processor until a thick paste forms. Set aside.

Stew

Melt butter in olive oil in a large skillet or pot (I used my Dutch oven). Stir in the onions, celery, bay leaves, and saffron. Cook until the onions are softened, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the stock, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat at a simmer and stir in the fish chunks. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Nestle the shrimp in the pot and cover. Let steam for 7 or 8 minutes until all the seafood is opaque. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper, as needed. Ladle into individual serving bowls. Serve hot, letting diners add as much - or as little - of the paste topping as they want.