Cataplana Seafood Stew
Another Portuguese recipe that is considered part of the Atlantic diet, and it is easy to source the ingredients. It's also easy to cook.Don't get too precious about having the exact ingredients. Always remember that the origin of this seafood stew, and its close relative paella, is that it was food for the rural and seafaring workers. Ingredients would have been anything that they had to hand from fishing or their gardens. Feel free to adapt the recipe to reflect what you have on hand.
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces Chorizo sausage (1/4 inch slices)
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced or diced
- 2 medium yellow, red &/or orange bell peppers sliced or diced
- 4 large garlic cloves
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 can (28 fl oz) Whole peeled or diced tomatoes. Crushed by hand and drain but keep the juices
- 2 cups clam juice Note 1
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ tsps paprika
- ½ tsp saffron threads crushed
- 2 cups packed chopped kale
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper or to taste
- 8 clams Note 2
- 8 ozs peeled and deveined tail-on raw large shrimp Note 2
- 4 ozs cleaned small squid tentacles Note 2
- 4 ozs mussels Note 2
- Fresh crusty whole wheat rolls with butter.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add sausage; cook, stirring often,about 5 minutes.
- Add onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes but make sure you stir frequently. Vegetables should have softened but not browned.
- Add wine to mixture and continue to cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Add crushed tomatoes and juices, clam juice, bay leaves, paprika, and saffron. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15 minutes.
- Stir kale, salt, and black pepper into stew. Cook for about 10 minutes.
- Places clams, shrimp, squid, and mussels into stew. Cover and increase heat to medium-high. If you are using all fresh ingredients cook until mussels and clams open and shrimp and squid are just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Discard any closed clams or mussels.
- If you are using frozen seafood, make sure it's thoroughly defrosted before adding to the stew. Cooking time should be about 5 minutes.
- Serve with fresh crusty bread rolls or chunks of wholemeal bread.
Notes
Note 1: If you don’t have calm juice or it’s too expensive, then use 1 cup of water. Alternatively, use fish or vegetable stock.
Note 2: If you don’t live near the coast, fresh seafood can be expensive. It’s OK to substitute frozen mussels and clam meat, frozen squid and any shrimp you have in the freezer. Alternatively, stores like Walmart often have a frozen seafood medley that is a perfectly acceptable substitute.
A Dutch oven is a good option for cooking this meal, but any large pot will work.
Use small muslin bags for the bay leaves, making them easier to find and remove before serving.
Regarding alternative ingredients, look at what’s in season in your garden or hunt for bargains at your local supermarket. Mishappen vegetables are fine.
Thinks of vegetables –
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Swede
- Turnips
- Green Cabbage
- Chinese Cabbage
- Bok Choy
- Cod
- Tilapia
- Lobster
- Crab
- Any fish offcuts