Sicilian Seafood Stew Recipe

Prep vegetables

Peel and finely dice the onion. Trim the fennel bulb, reserve some fronds for garnish, and thinly slice the bulb. Thinly slice the celery. Mince the garlic.

Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When shimmering, add the diced onion, fennel and celery. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 8–10 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn it.

Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to caramelize the paste slightly, which deepens the flavor.

Deglaze the pot with 3 tablespoons white wine, scraping up any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Let the wine reduce by half, about 1–2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes (or crushed canned tomatoes), 4 cups fish stock, 1 cup water, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1.5 teaspoons sea salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine.

Bring the stock to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 20–25 minutes to meld flavors and slightly reduce the broth. Taste and adjust seasoning with a pinch more salt or red pepper flakes if desired.

While the broth simmers, clean and prepare the seafood: rinse mussels and clams under cold water, discard any with broken shells or that do not close when tapped. Pat shrimp, fish chunks and calamari dry with paper towels and season lightly with a pinch of salt.

Increase heat under the pot to medium-high. Add mussels and clams to the simmering broth, stirring once to submerge them. Cover the pot and steam for 3–4 minutes.

After 3–4 minutes, uncover and add the fish chunks, shrimp and calamari. Stir gently to incorporate. Recover and simmer for an additional 4–6 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and opaque, fish flakes easily with a fork, calamari is tender, and most mussels/clams have opened. Discard any mussels or clams that remain closed.

Taste the stew and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper or a squeeze of lemon as needed. If the broth is too thin, simmer uncovered 2–4 more minutes to concentrate flavors; if too thick, add up to 1/2 cup water or stock.

Turn off the heat. Stir in chopped parsley and fennel fronds and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the stew. Add lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavors; taste and adjust acidity if needed.

Ladle the Sicilian seafood stew into warmed bowls, making sure each portion gets a mix of mussels, clams, fish, shrimp and calamari. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and crusty bread for dipping. Optionally drizzle a little more olive oil over each bowl.

Leftovers: cool to room temperature, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 days. Reheat gently over low heat; avoid boiling to prevent overcooking delicate seafood.