Fish Stew

Had a hankering for this and made it last night.  Not that hard and really good.  I made all of this for four but honestly could be for 8.  I should seriously have at least 10 people over for dinner every night.  I cook like I have a brood of people that live here. 

2 carrots peeled and cut into cubes

1 yellow onion diced

1 leek (white part only) chopped

3 stalks of celery diced

2 red peppers diced

14 ounces or so of chorizo ( not fresh chorizo ) sliced or diced

Spice sack filled with 4 bay leaves, 1 tsp. thyme, 1 tsp. oregano and 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 28 ounce cans of chopped or crushed tomatoes

3/4 lb. halibut cut into large cubes

8 sea scallops

12 large shrimp peeled

1/2 lb. rock shrimp

1/2 lb. fresh crab meat

8 clams

2 cups flour

1 bottle of white wine

salt and pepper

In a large deep pan cover the bottom with olive oil.  Once the oil is hot add the onions, leeks, carrots, celery, red peppers and chorizo.  Saute on medium heat until the chorizo gets a little crispy and the vegetables get soft.

Add in 4 cups of water, both cans of tomato sauce and the spice sack.  Bring to boil and then bring the temperature down to a simmer.  Let this simmer on the stove for 3 hours, uncovered.  This will get thick.  I actually let it simmer for four hours and it was perfect. 

Right before you are ready to serve this prepare the fish.  In a large semi-deep frying pan cover the bottom with olive oil.  Put the flour in a bowl with a little salt and pepper and toss in the halibut  Once the fish is coated, put that in the frying pan and cook until it is golden on both sides,  Then with a slotted spoon move that to the tomato mixture.  Continue to do the same with the shrimp, rock shrimp and scallops.  Add the crab meat to the tomato dish once all the other fish has been added in.  Mix and let this continue to simmer.

In that large frying pan that you just pre-cooked the fish in add a bottle of wine and let that come to a boil.  Now add the clams and let it boil until the clams open.  Once they open add them to the tomato mixture and scrape down everything in the frying pan and pour it into the tomato mixture and stir.  This adds the wine and scraps of the fish into the mixture for a really nice taste.

Serve in a dish with some bread on the side, a little white wine and you are ready for a good hearty meal.