Go Back
+ servings
Seafood stew of mussels, scallops, shrimp, chorizo sausage and Pacific cod in a spicy sauce

Spanish Seafood Stew

From the Catalan coast of Spain comes Zarzuela de Mariscos! Spanish Seafood Stew is Spain's version of the French bouillabaisse and Italy's cioppino. Spicy chorizo sausages, shrimp, scallops and mussels are swimming in a rich, lightly spicy sauce. Each serving is topped with broiled Pacific cod.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Save
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

Romesco Sauce:

  • 1 red bell pepper halved, seeded and membrane removed
  • 3 medium tomatoes
  • 1 garlic head halved, paper outer skin removed
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1/4 cup olive oil divided
  • 2 dried Ancho chilies
  • 1/4 cup Marcona almonds or regular almonds
  • 1 ounce about 1/4 slice white bread, crust removed
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt

For the stew:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 pound fresh Spanish chorizo sausage links
  • 2 8-inch celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves grated or minced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups chicken or seafood broth
  • 1 bay leaf

Fish and Shellfish:

  • 1 pound medium or large shrimp shelled and deveined
  • 1/2 pound sea scallop halved
  • 24 mussels scrubbed and de-bearded
  • 1 pound Pacific Cod cut into 6 portions

Instructions

For the Romesco Sauce:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F
  • Add the peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onion to a baking sheet.  Brush the vegetables with 2 tablespoons of the oil and roast until they are soft and slightly charred, about 25-30 minutes.  When roasted, transfer from the oven.
  • While the vegetables are roasting, place the dried chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water.  Soak the chilies for 15-20 minutes until they are rehydrated.  Remove the chilies from the water and blot with a paper towel.   Place on a cutting board and open the chilies, scrape and discard the seeds.  Puree the chilies in a mini-food processor or a blender.  Add the puree to a small mesh sieve set over a dish and press with the back of a spoon, set the puree aside and discard the solids.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a small skillet set over low heat.  Add the almonds and stir to brown, about 1 minute.  Transfer the almonds to a small paper towel-lined plate.  Add the bread to the skillet and brown it lightly on both sides, then transfer to the plate with the almonds.  
  • When the roasted vegetables are cool enough to handle, peel the pepper and tomatoes.  Break the garlic apart and squeeze out the soft cloves.  
  • Add the roasted vegetables to a food processor or blender along with the chili puree, almonds, bread, lemon juice, paprika, salt, and the remaining olive oil.  Process until it forms a thick sauce.  
  • Transfer the sauce into a bowl or jar and reserve.  

The Stew:

  • Set a large skillet over medium-high and add the olive oil, tilting to cover the bottom of the skillet.  Add the chorizo sausage links and sear to a rich brown, about 6-8 minutes.  Transfer the links to a paper towel-lined plate and when cool enough to handle, slice in 1-inch diagonal slices.  Reserve.
  • Reduce the heat to medium, add the celery, onion and garlic.  Sauté for 3 minutes until slightly soft. 
  • Pour the wine into the skillet, stirring to deglaze the pan and cook for 1 minute to burn off the alcohol. 
  • Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, and the sliced chorizo sausage.  Stir in the reserved romesco sauce.   Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  

Broil the cod.

  • Preheat the Broiler for 5 minutes and raise the oven shelf to 6-inches below the broiler unit.  Set a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet.  
  • Pat the cod dry with paper towels and place on the wire rack.  Brush each portion with olive oil, season with salt/pepper and dust lightly with smoked paprika.  
  • Broil for 5-6 minutes until just beginning to flake.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the Cod is Broiling:

  • Increase the heat under the romesco sauce and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low again.  Add the shrimp, scallops and mussels to the hot sauce, cover and cook the seafood for 3-4 minutes until the shrimp are curled into a ‘C’ shape, the scallops are opaque and the mussels have opened.  
  • Remove from the heat and scoop into shallow bowls; add a portion of cod to each portion, garnish with chopped parsley and serve with warm garlic bread.  

Notes

  • Make a double batch of this sauce and refrigerate it. Romesco sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week. Also, it can be portioned into lidded containers for the freezer and will keep for 2 months. 
  • The Spanish cuisine would most likely use the Nora pepper in this seafood stew.   Any mild dried chili will work as a substitute such as an Ancho, Pasilla or Guajillo.
  • Try leaving some of the charred skin on the peppers as it adds flavor to the sauce.
  • Substitute regular un-toasted or raw slivered almonds for the Marcona almonds.
  • Be sure to use uncooked Spanish chorizo sausage and not Mexican chorizo as the flavor profile is much different.
    If you are unable to find Spanish chorizo the best substitute would be Portuguese linguica.  Portuguese linguica has similar spices as Spanish chorizo but includes spicy chilies. 
  • Clams can be substituted for mussels
  • I used Pacific cod but any white fish or even salmon can be substituted.