Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Tuscan Fish Stew – Just Like I Barely Remember Having in Italy

I spent a few days in Florence about 30 years ago, and while I don’t remember much, I do recall a few things that surprised me, with this Tuscan Fish Stew being the most delicious. I’d had similar stews before that, but what I found so interesting was how herbs like oregano, sage, and rosemary, which I considered “meat only” seasonings were also used with seafood. The other surprises were the partial nudity on TV and in magazines, but that’s another blog post.

Anyway, it was quite the epiphany, since at the time, being fresh out of culinary school, I thought parsley, dill, and maybe tarragon were the only herbs we cooks were allowed to use for fish. Now that seems ridiculous, but at the time it was pretty heady stuff. Speaking of which, you do need to be careful, since these more resinous herbs can easily overpower a delicate dish.

As I said in the video, any tomato product will work in this, but I really like cherry tomatoes here, since they provide a fragrant freshness you just won’t get with a can or jar. You do need to strain them after blending, but the few extra minutes of work will be well worth the effort.

By the way, I hear that for this to qualify as an official Italian fish stew you need use at least five different types of seafood, which is both insane and adorable, but I thought I’d mention it just in case any old-school Tuscans are coming over. Regardless, I really do hope you give this easy and delicious fish stew a try soon. Enjoy! 


Ingredients for 2 large portions:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 sliced green onions
4 cloves sliced garlic
1 anchovy fillet
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 cups cherry tomatoes, blended with 1 cup of clam juice, or chicken broth
12 ounces halibut or other white fish
1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp or other seafood
salt to taste
2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, and pinch of rosemary)
crusty bread for soaking up the broth

25 comments:

Unknown said...

Looks great, I'm going to use some striper I have left over from my last trip to the beach.
Thanks for the idea

ZS said...

"1/4 sliced green onions" may need revision. Also: Florence has no coast :)

Tihai ck said...

((((((HtMln))))))
I am a big fan of watching your video .All I can say it looks delicious

Unknown said...

I am DEFINITELY going to try this one. I think I will need to double this recipe, however.

Unknown said...

Hey Chef John! How many cups of finished/strained tomato did you get from the 3 cups of cherries? I'm thinking about using larger local grown tomatoes, blanched and peeled. Or in the winter, canned San Marzanos. I can't always get local cherries, so I'm trying to figure out what I need.

Chef Hef said...

Although this look delicious, I’m trying to figure out where to submit a recipe request. Would love to see your take on New Orleans’ Yaka Mein!

Vincent Grimaldi said...

Look I enjoyed this fish stew greatly I just adjusted some seasonings to my liking as taught to me by my father who is a retired chef of many years you told me he once sold an entree 5 times and just changed the seasonings and preparation to expand the menu. This dish is ripe in the hands that understand that concept. You will love this stew with whatever fish types you can acquire take it from me son of chef lol....

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John,
First of all let me apologize that this has absolutely nothing to do with this particular recipe. This is the first time I've posted however I have tried a lot of your recipes and they are amazing. However I have come upon a problem I want to make a super special chocolate dessert for a young lady who has in The Last 5 Years been through more than most people go through in a lifetime. She has made some AMAZING academic achievements. She absolutely adores chocolate however she cannot eat dark chocolate I was hoping that you could help me out and tell me something I can make her that uses milk chocolate. I would greatly appreciate any and all help that you can give me with this thank you very much in advance.

Layla

Daniel Contreras said...

Chef John. First time posting on your blog, and your show has helped me grow as a cook over the last few months. I have to ask if I am using dry herbs should I put them in earlier in the prossess to let their flavor into the stew?. Why put them in so late? is it mainly to let them have bright colours for plating?
Thanks for the help.

Unknown said...

I made this tonight, and it was excellent. I blanked on buying clam juice while I was at the grocery store so I pulled out an ol' trick I saw in some video recipe for New Orleans BBQ shrimp and made a quick shrimp broth from the leftover shells. No idea how it would compare to the clam juice version, but it was pretty solid this way.

Unknown said...

Looks delicious.
Where are the directions?

Andreas said...

saw it, made it, loved it!


thank you again for another great dish and video :)

Captain Nemo said...

Chef John, Thanks for another simple but very tasty recipe!! Made it for dinner last night, both my wife and I loved it. I am amazed how just a few ingredients put together can produce such a great meal. I couldn't find the recipe on Allrec...com, so i just followed the video. When do the recipes typically post? Thanks again!

Tom_MacIver said...

Chef John, please, it's time to put out a cookbook, and let all of your loving viewers and subscribers open their wallets to say thanks to you. Not as much fun as your videos, but hey, I'll buy a few copies to explain why I have gained 20 lbs since I started watching FoodWishes, my profligate use of cayenne and why I speak in marginal rhymes in my conversations. Think about it?
Thanks and Cheers,
Tom

Unknown said...

I went ahead and bought some shrimp with the shells on, and in the afternoon cleaned up the shrimp and made a stock out of the shells with some fresh herbs. I added that with the cherry tomatoes. It made the dish really explode with shrimpy flavor. Great recipe Chef I enjoyed making it!

mom said...

Is that 1/4 cup green onions?
Also: When I double it, should I use 8 garlic cloves?

mom said...

I asked about the amount of scallions and onions but didn't click the box for a response.

paulcantcook said...

Does a pound of seafood per person not seam crazy as a serving?

Unknown said...

Chicken stock? In the video, Chef John says clam juice or fish stock. Fish stock sounds like a better match than chicken stock.

Unknown said...

This came out great!
We liked how easy and quick this fish stew was to make. It was delicious, especially with a crusty baguette.
Added to our list of recipes to make again.
Thanks, Chef John!

Unknown said...

Hi, great recipes, I always like watching the episodes on Youtube. I was wondering about the amounts in this recipe. 1 pound of shrimp and 12 ounces of halibut seems like a lot for two people.

ZS said...

Something's not fresh in Denmark. I'm getting flooded with comments on this post all of a sudden. Someone should lubricate the gears on this blog or something.

Big Al said...

Winner Winner !! I added a cup of clams and a cup of brown rice. This is a keeper

Unknown said...

Looks great!! Got some tomato's and fresh cod at my local farmers market, making this one tomorrow!!

Sam said...

Didn't have clam juice so I sautéed the shrimp shells in olive oil then added water and simmered. Substituted dried oregano and basil for fresh herbs. Tomatoes are out of season so i used tomato sauce. It goes without saying, but this recipe hinges on using fresh high quality fish, so if you can't find fresh fish I recommend just using shrimp. I would consider using the stewing liquid as the basis for steamed mussels. Thanks Chef John.