This stew is incredible! The slow stewed squid are melt-in-your-mouth tender. I first used this recipe to help me crush my uncle, Jeff, in a cooking competition. I'll try not to rub it in his face, but this recipe did not disappoint. I ended up making it again a few weeks later for our Christmas eve feast of the seven fishes (an italian tradition me and my Jewish father were happy to appropriate this year).
It is a bit of a high maintenance soup. It takes about 2 hours to cook. Add on additional prep time to chop the veggies and herbs, peal and devein the shrimp, scrub and de-beard the clams and muscles, clean the squid and cut it into rings, and zest the lemon. In reality this is a three hour project. Please don't let that discourage you. It's seriously amazing!
My changes:
1. Instead of using a whole 1/2 cup of olive oil, I used 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of coconut oil. I think the coconut oil might have added a subtle nutty sweetness, but maybe that was just in my head. Either way, that amount of oil was definitely enough.
2. I added 3 cloves of minced garlic. The garlic went in the pot first with the oil and vegetables.
3. I also added a few shakes of red pepper flakes to the oil and veggie mix.
4. I omitted the striped bass and instead simply seared a few sea scallops in a separate pan just before the stew was ready to serve. I seared them in a separate pan so that they would get a nice golden brown crust and so that I could ensure they were cooked perfectly (at over 20 dollars a pound I was not about to mess any of these guys up). I then served one scallop placed in each bowl of soup.
Other than those four things, I recommend that you follow this recipe very closely.
It is a bit of a high maintenance soup. It takes about 2 hours to cook. Add on additional prep time to chop the veggies and herbs, peal and devein the shrimp, scrub and de-beard the clams and muscles, clean the squid and cut it into rings, and zest the lemon. In reality this is a three hour project. Please don't let that discourage you. It's seriously amazing!
My changes:
1. Instead of using a whole 1/2 cup of olive oil, I used 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of coconut oil. I think the coconut oil might have added a subtle nutty sweetness, but maybe that was just in my head. Either way, that amount of oil was definitely enough.
2. I added 3 cloves of minced garlic. The garlic went in the pot first with the oil and vegetables.
3. I also added a few shakes of red pepper flakes to the oil and veggie mix.
4. I omitted the striped bass and instead simply seared a few sea scallops in a separate pan just before the stew was ready to serve. I seared them in a separate pan so that they would get a nice golden brown crust and so that I could ensure they were cooked perfectly (at over 20 dollars a pound I was not about to mess any of these guys up). I then served one scallop placed in each bowl of soup.
Other than those four things, I recommend that you follow this recipe very closely.