Most Singaporeans love seafood! While I love all kinds of tze char seafood dishes, the banana leaf-wrapped, sambal-covered barbecued seafood, as well as all the Malay Lemak seafood dishes, I sometimes make this type of Seafood Stew with Saffron, especially when I have a combination of all the seafood I love in the same room!
Recently I’d discovered @your_friendlyfarmer and their fresh seafood boxes! This is not a sponsored post, I am just sharing something terrific – a sustainable and local seafood supplier, that literally delivers fish from their fish farm to your table!
So I’ve subscribed to their seafood box and the first time I received them, boy was I excited! You have a choice of 5kg or 3kg seafood haul. I opted for the 3kg box for $80 including delivery.
When I opened the box, there were a couple of large crabs, squids (received the local big-fin reef squid variety), large prawns (the sweetest I’ve had in a long time!), mussels (a little on the small side) and gutted and scaled fish, all fresh from their fish farm! You cannot specify what you want in the box, but will receive what’s available as the fresh catch of the day. Therefore, not everything that I’ve listed would be available all the time. I mean, for seafood lovers, isn’t it exciting to open a treasure (styrofoam) box filled with treasures of the sea? Oh and the styrofoam boxes are to be returned, to be reused for their deliveries 👍
For this recipe, I’d also bought some amazingly fresh thread-fin aka ikan kurau, from my nearby @shengsiong. (The snapper in my seafood box was used to make a curry in a hurry, couldn’t help it 😬). Any firm-fleshed fish would be ideal for this stew. I love threadfin because it is firm but delicate, rich but light in taste and flavour. I dare call it the monkfish of Southeast Asia.
You can make an instant and incredible seafood stock with just the mussels and the prawn heads. Its liquid gold adds complexity and richness to this dish.
Besides, the heady saffron flavor gives this stew an added dimension. While the fennel seeds also play a very important flavor role. It gives the stew that wonderful licorice/anise aroma that perks up a rich stew like this and makes it distinctly sunny and Mediterranean, think Portugal, Spain, or the South of France.
Instead of going to a restaurant, try making this stew at home. Put up the fancy tablecloth, take out the nice crockery/silverware, light some candles, break some bread and enjoy!
PS: hope you and your family likes garlic 🧄
One Pot Seafood Stew with Saffron and Garlic Bread
Ingredients
400g large prawns, remove heads (reserve), shells and devein
500g mussels, cleaned
1 large squid, about 300g, sliced into rings
Thread-fin fish, boned and skinned fillet about 300g
2 parsley stems
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium while onion, chopped
1 small carrot chopped
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
small pinch of saffron, infused in one cup of water for at least 15 minutes
1 small bunch Italian parsley
salt and pepper
- Garlic Aioli – Cheat’s Version!
1/2 cup good quality, store-bought mayonnaise
1 garlic cloves
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
- Garlic Bread
1 baguette
250g salter butter
3-4 garlic cloves, grated
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Directions
- Make the aioli by mixing all ingredients together and set aside.
- Make the garlic butter by mixing all the ingredients. Cut the baguette into 3 pieces and start slicing the baguette (without going all the way through) in 2cm width. Spread the garlic butter in between the slices and wrap each of the three pieces of baguette with aluminium foil. Reserve.
- Place garlic bread pouches in a 180˚C heated oven for 10 minutes, only when the stew is almost ready to be served.
- In a pot on high heat, steam mussels and prawn heads in 1 ½ cups of water and rapid boil for three minutes, covered. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain the stock and discard prawn heads. Reserve this rich, shellfish stock.
- Leave 1/3 of the mussels with their shells on and remove the mussel meat from their shells for the rest. Discard the empty mussel shells.
- In a heavy pan, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Fry onions, carrots and celery on medium heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Add garlic, bay leaf and fennel seeds and continue frying for another 5-7 minutes until lightly browned. Add paprika powder and 1 can of tomato sauce, all the reserved shellfish stock, infused saffron water (including the saffron threads), squid slices, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, covered. We are cooking and tenderising the squid, the long and slow method here. - After 15 minutes, gently add the fish and prawns, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Finally add the cooked mussels, both meat and with shells and chopped parsley for another 2 minutes of simmering. Check seasoning.
- Serve each steaming bowl with a dollop of garlic aioli, more chopped parsley, and lots of garlic bread for dipping.
