Sicilian seafood stew recipe
With fresh fish, salty capers and a rich tomato sauce, this simple stew makes a cracking weekend feast.
For as long as I can remember, Sunday has been my favourite day of the week. Life just seems to slow down slightly – which for a hyperactive, always busy person like myself is immensely welcome. Sunday is about sharing and feasting with friends, eating breakfast at any time of the day, or slow-cooking something magnificent.
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I first ate a version of this Sunday dish at my friend Claud’s house and became obsessed with the combination of fresh fish with salty capers and pops of sweet dried fruit that had plumped in the rich tomato sauce.
To add another dimension, I’ve confited (slow-cooked in oil) some garlic at the start, which is then used in both the stew and aioli. If you can’t be bothered, you can leave that bit out, replacing it with garlic to taste instead.
Recipe: Sicilian seafood stew
Ingredients
- 1 golden shallot or 1 onion
- 1 fennel bulb
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- (or garlic confit oil if made in advance)
- Handful of parsley
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 250ml white wine
- 2 × 400g tins plum tomatoes
- Big pinch of saffron (optional but delicious)
- 75g sultanas or raisins
- 4 tablespoons capers
- 1 lemon
- Pinch of caster sugar (optional)
- 400g skinless, boneless, firm white fish
- 800g seafood of your choice (prawns, clams, mussels or a mixture)
- To serve
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Crusty bread
- Sea salt and freshly ground
- Black pepper
- For the confit garlic
- 1 garlic bulb
- Around 250ml olive oil
- Big pinch of chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
- 1 lemon
Method
- To make the confit garlic, peel the garlic cloves and put them into a small saucepan. Pour in enough olive oil to just cover the garlic. Add the chilli flakes, then peel in the lemon rind. Place the pan over a low heat and gently cook until the garlic is completely soft – this will take around 25-30 minutes. Once soft, set aside. (This confit garlic can be prepared a week or so in advance and kept in a jar with the oil.) Meanwhile, finely chop the shallot or onion, fennel and celery. Scrape all the veg into your largest saucepan, along with a big pinch of salt. Add the olive oil. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until the veg are soft. Chop the parsley stalks and add to the pan, along with 4 of the confit garlic cloves, the smoked paprika and fennel seeds. Cook, smooshing the garlic, for a minute more.
- Pour in the white wine. Once bubbled away by half, add the tomatoes, along with 1½ tins of water, and the saffron, if using.
- Leave the stew base to bubble away, still over a medium heat, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the dried fruit and cook for 15 minutes more until the tomatoes are broken down and the sauce is rich and delicious. Stir the capers through the sauce and add the juice of 1 lemon, then season to taste with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar if it needs it. Remember the fish will add a salty brininess later. Cut the fish into large chunks and season. Clean your seafood, pulling the beards off the mussels, if using. Put everything into the stew base, cover with a lid and cook for 5-8 minutes until everything is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, spoon the mayo into a small bowl. Grate in the zest from the remaining lemon, then smoosh in as many confit garlic cloves as you like to make your cheat’s aioli. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Roughly chop the parsley leaves, scatter over the stew, then drizzle over some confit garlic oil and a few chilli flakes, if you like. Serve with the cheat’s aioli and some crusty bread for dipping. Serves 4-6
This is an edited extract from Sundays: A Cookbook by Sophie Godwin (Murdoch, $39.99).
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