Shellfish Stew

Cooking Chilean

Ingredients for Shellfish Stew

For the stew:

• 2 lbs. clams in their shells
• 9 cups water
• 1 lb, river crayfish, in their shells, washed
• 1 1/2 lbs. Shrimp, unpeeled and washed
• 1/2 lb, carrots, grated
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 lb. squid, cut into thin slices
• 1 1/2 lbs. sea bass fillets, cut in pieces
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup sherry or white wine

For the tomato sauce:

• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• - Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil

Preparation of Shellfish Stew

1. Put the clams in a saucepan with 1 cup water and steam for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid. Take the clams out of the shells. Discard the shells and reserve the meat. Bring the remaining 8 cups of water to the boil and add the shrimp and crayfish. Cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the water and peel. Put the shells in a blender and blend until smooth. Add to the broth with the chopped vegetables and the squid. Cook for 15 minutes.

2. For the sauce: sauté the tomato sauce ingredients, reduce heat and cook over low heat until thick. Add the shrimp, crayfish, sea bass and clams. Cook for 5 minutes and add to the shellfish broth with the tomato paste and the reserved liquid from the clams. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the wine or sherry. Cook 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve very hot in individual tureens.