I know it seems silly that I have been clamoring for warmer weather for months and now that it is finally here what recipes do I offer up but stew recipes? Well, there are a couple of reasons for the stew recipes. First, I have been so busy with work lately that making a stew gives me a chance to put together a dinner rather easily and have it all in one pot, making things even better for all of us. Second, both of the stews I have made, this one today and the chicken stew yesterday, I kind of spring-like in their ingredients so they fit pretty well into the weather that we have been having lately anyway. lastly, this recipe today came in the last issue of Cook’s Country magazine and I just love to make their recipes, so I couldn’t resist it. This one is for a simple seafood and chorizo stew, making use of shrimp, cod and chorizo so you get the great flavors of the seafood combined with the heat and spiciness of the chorizo.

Seafood and Chorizo Stew

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

6 ounces chorizo sausage, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 onion, chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice

1 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined and tails removed

2 (6-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, cut into 1-inch chunks

Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the chorizo and the onion and cook until both are lightly browned, about 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the oregano and cook until both are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes and their juice and the clam juice, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Pat the shrimp and the cod dry with paper towels and season each with salt and pepper. Gently stir the seafood into the stew and cook until the seafood is opaque and cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of oregano and season the stew with salt and pepper to taste. Portion the stew into individual bowls and drizzle with a little bit of extra olive oil and serve.

This was a nice thick stew with lots of great flavor to it. love the combination of the shrimp and chorizo and I think if you wanted to leave the cod out altogether and just go with those two this would be a fine dish as well, though the cod adds a nice bit of contrast and some extra meatiness to the dish. I had bought some fresh made chorizo from the butcher and it was perfect, with just the right amount of heat to it. This stew goes great with some nice crusty bread to sop up the juices and I really enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day when the stew was even a little bit hotter because the chorizo had really melded into the dish by then. This is another great one pot meal you can have done in under 30 minutes so it is great for any weeknight when you need something easy to put together.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!