If you have read any of my previous posts about living in Texas, you will know that there are 3 things that I dislike about living here. They include:
- Hot weather
- Texas drivers
- The lack of 4 distinct seasons
Funny that 2 of the 3 have to do with the weather in this part of the country. Some factoids about my particular locale in Texas:
- The average temperature is 68 degrees.
- “Summer” lasts 7 months (at least that’s what it feels like). The average temperature from April – October is 88 degrees.
- The average rainfall is just shy of 33 inches.
- The rainfall in just 24 hours this weekend reached 3.54 inches, which if that happened every day, we’d have more than 1277 inches of rain here annually (that’s 106 feet for those of you doing the math).
Holy flooding, Batman!! I think we may need to build an ark to get outta here.
Given that Fall (and when I say “Fall”, I mean REAL Fall weather with cool crisp days, changing leaves, and great clothing options) doesn’t really exist here, it’s hard to get on board with some of the soups and stews that I generally look forward to each year.
Now, given all of that moaning and groaning about Texas weather (and MAN, I am good at it), there are those occasions that a good, hearty stew is exactly what is called for.
Take this weekend, for instance. I’m sure that if any of you have been following the weather, you are aware that the strongest hurricane on record made landfall in Mexico. And you are also likely aware that Texas sits due north of Mexico, which means that their weather patterns regularly affect ours.
Enter a wet, soggy, and stay-in-your-jammies-and-binge-watch-Netflix kind of weekend. That meant the need for hearty and warming food, too. I mean, I needed sustenance to keep up with Frank Underwood’s antics (House of Cards, for those that don’t know that reference).
And since we felt like we may need swimmies to leave the house, the idea of staying put and making a yummy Fisherman’s Stew sounded like a much better proposition.
I had a collection of ingredients in my freezer and pantry that worked perfectly for this soggy day dinner. Before I knew it, we had piping hot bowls of Fisherman’s Stew in front of us, and we were able to keep up with the Underwoods and many other show plots the whole weekend.
No ark required.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 6 hours |
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Ah, rainy days. They cry out for a crock pot meal, don't they? Well, they do to me. And this delicious and hearty Fisherman's Stew was the perfect foil for wet weather. Don't have the exact ingredients listed? Feel free to play with the veggies or even the seafood depending on what you may have on hand, or what you may find on sale. Crock pot to the rescue!
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- 1 lb. medium precooked shrimp
- 1 lb. medium scallops
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 can no sodium added diced tomatoes
- 1 can baby clams, juice included
- 1 carton (32 oz.) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 bottle (8 oz.) clam juice
- 1 dried bay leaf
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Prep for the end of cooking first. Defrost the shrimp and scallops in the refrigerator while the stew cooks. Drain excess liquid from each. Refrigerate, covered, until just prior to serving the stew.
- Dice celery, carrots, onion and bell peppers to approximately the same size so that they cook evenly in the stew. Place them in the insert of the crock pot.
- Add diced tomatoes. Do not drain; use the juices from the tomatoes in the can.
- Be sure to shake the bottle of clam juice prior to using. Pour juice into crock pot insert.
- Add the vegetable broth. If you have homemade vegetable stock, that would work really well here, too.
- Add the baby clams. Do not drain; use the juices from the clams in the can.
- Add one bay leaf. Do not salt & pepper the stew at this time, as the clam juice and baby clams will already be somewhat salty. Salt & pepper at the end to taste. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- 20 minutes prior to serving, add the scallops and shrimp. This will ensure that they have time to cook through, but will not overcook and become tough.
- Serve the stew with a crusty piece of bread for dipping. Enjoy!
If you have leftovers, this Fisherman's Stew is even better on day two. However, if you are not going to use it in the first 48 hours, you can freeze the rest for a later time. To reheat, defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and warm slowly in a large pan. Add additional broth as needed to reach your desired consistency.
Oh, and still looking for a crock pot that will save the day on a rainy and soggy weekend? Look no further than this All Clad 7-qt. Aluminum Insert version. I reach for this reliable and durable appliance multiple times each week. You will fall in love with it, too, I promise.
I feel your pain – the summer in AZ seems to last for-ev-ah! This is a great recipe and I love how easy it seems to make. I BET this would be fab on day two! Nice!
This definitely sounds like a perfect stew for cold, rainy weather! My husband is a die-hard seafood fan and would love this for sure!