Quick and Easy Seafood Stew
Try this recipe for a Quick and Easy Seafood Stew that tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen. Give this recipe 15 minutes of your time to do the prep work and serve up a hearty dinner full of delicious shrimp and cod in a tomato based broth.
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Are you like me…a push-over for a food magazine? I never met one I didn’t like and rarely pass one on the shelf that I don’t pick up and glance through. More often than not, I end up bringing it home with me.
So, when I picked up a magazine and saw a seafood stew recipe, I knew I had to make my own version right away. And I’m so glad I did. It’s one of those perfect recipes – quick, easy, and you probably have most of the ingredients right in your refrigerator and pantry. This was the perfect choice for a cool evening with a lovely fire going in the fireplace. I served it with some Bacon and Cheddar Biscuits.
❤️ Why We Love This Recipe
- Flaky fish and fresh shrimp stewed in a flavorful broth – need I say more?
- Easy to make and perfect for the winter months
- It’s a one-pot meal that’s ready in 30 minutes!
🛒 Ingredient Notes
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- Canned stewed tomatoes (Stewed tomatoes are already partially cooked and seasoned with sugar, herbs, and other seasonings added.)
- Spicy V-8 juice (Boosts the tomato flavor even more and adds a subtle spiciness to the stew. If you don’t have access to V-8 juice, you can make a substitute and add 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, to make it spicy. If you can’t find spicy V-8 juice, try using a spicy Bloody Mary Mix or Clamato.)
- Shrimp (Use one pound of any size shrimp; medium shrimp are typically a more budget-friendly option.)
- Cod (Cod has a white, firm flesh and a firm, flaky texture without an overly fishy taste. If you can’t find cod, you can substitute pollock, haddock, grouper, halibut, or tilapia.)
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
🥄 How to Make Quick and Easy Seafood Stew
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot.
- Add the pepper, celery, and onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
- Add in the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in stewed tomatoes, vegetable juice, water, and salt.
- Cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Gently stir in the cod and shrimp. Cover the saucepot and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until the fish and shrimp just turn opaque throughout.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
This stew is great served on its own with some crusty bread, but if you want to make it a soup and sandwich or salad combo, it’d be perfect for that as well. You can’t go wrong with serving it with biscuits either! For dessert, try a tasty lemon lime cake, strawberry icebox cake, or lemon bars.
🍚 Storage
If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You’ll need to be really gentle when reheating the stew — we all know what overcooked shrimp are like! Skip the microwave and reheat it over low heat on the stovetop until just hot and serve immediately.
❓ Questions About Seafood Stew
You can easily make this recipe ahead of time. I suggest making it up to the point of adding the seafood. When ready to serve, reheat and then add the shrimp and fish to finish.
You can easily substitute the shrimp with scallops, lobster, or oysters to create your own version of the recipe. Try other fish such as mahi mahi, tilapia, and halibut.
Yes! To substitute frozen fish or shrimp in the recipe, allow them to thaw completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, and then proceed with the recipe.
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
📖 Recipe
Quick and Easy Seafood Stew
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large green or yellow bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed and minced
- 14.5 ounces canned stewed tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup spicy V-8 juice
- 1 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp
- 10 ounces cod fillet cut into 1-inch chunks
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot.
- Add pepper, celery, and onion and cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 6 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
- Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in stewed tomatoes, vegetable juice, water, salt, and pepper. Cover and heat to boiling over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Gently stir in cod and shrimp. Cover saucepot and simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until cod and shrimp just turn opaque throughout.
Notes
- Serve the stew with a good, crusty bread and a light salad to make a complete meal. Leftovers are great served over pasta or rice.
- Store any leftovers in refrigerator for no longer than 3 days. This recipe also freezes well. Store in a freezer container up to three months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.
- You can easily substitute the shrimp with scallops, lobster, or oysters to create your own version of the recipe. Try other fish such as mahi mahi, tilapia, and halibut.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on February 22, 2010. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
I’m going to make this but can I substitute vegetable broth for the V8 juice. Husband not a fan of it, and tomato based soups upset his system since his stroke. Thanks for any help.
Jacqueline – I’ve never tested this with vegetable broth and the tomato-based V8 is essential to the flavor of this recipe. You may want to look for a different recipe that doesn’t have a tomato base.
I just made this wonderful stew today & it was outstanding!!
Followed the recipe exactly as written, except I added scallops to the shrimp & cod and put a pinch of cumin in the broth. I will make this over & over again!
So glad you liked the recipe!
Super delish! Used salmon because there was no fresh white fish at the store, and it was great! Didn’t want to pay $2.49 for one piece of celery so just added more green bell pepper. I am going to make again to use up more of the V8, I’m thinking of adding sweet potato. Thank you for this wonderful recipe which I will make forever more!
My pleasure! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I made it again and it was equally delicious. This time I found the fresh cod and instead of using shrimp I tried “Alaskan snow crab lets” which I found in the frozen seafood section. Just so darn good!
That’s great, Lydia!
I used halibut and rock fish no shrimp great recipe
Super easy to make and very delicious. I also added a pound of scallops,a pound of cod and some extra V8 and stewed tomatoes to accommodate the extra seafood. My son-in-law said it was restaurant quality!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This was delicious and so easy and quick to prepare. Instead of 1/2 cup water I used a small bottle of clam juice. Used about 1.5lbs of shrimp (just the way the frozen shrimp I had on hand worked out). Will definitely make this again. There is a lot of delicious sauce so would add more seafood next time.
Just made and ate…. DELICIOUS!!!!
Great! Glad you enjoyed it.
I added thyme and extra garlic but this was excellent. I will make it again.
I’m making this stew again tomorrow. We’ve had it twice now and my husband can’t get enough of it! I’ve made it with cod but am using salmon this time. I made a loaf of Irish Soda bread today that I think will go great with this hearty stew.
So delicious and easy to make.
I’m so glad to know that you like the recipe, Kathleen! I think it’s really delicious, too.
A very good and solid recipe. I had a bunch of seafood leftover from a shipment I put in several weeks ago, and I was looking for a recipe to use it all in one go. This is such a great meal! I will be using this again when I get to the end of my next seafood order.
I make something quite similar, and generally add okra & some smoked sausage for a Louisiana kick. Serve over rice, or as is. Easy, quick and makes for happy tummies.
Miss P
This stew is great with couscous as I cooked the stew I steamed couscous on stop to get the flavor of served it on the side it’s the most flavorful.
This stew is delicious! Will definitely make it again. I’ve already recommended it to friends!
Thank you! I’m so glad to know you enjoyed it.
with some crusty bread, this looks awesome!
That certainly looks like a hearty good stew! Nice!
Looks wonderful!!! Reminds me of bouillabaisse’ (probably misspelled) without all of the other stuff like clams, oysters and other yucky things. This looks like it would be a great dish served over rice like shrimp creole’. Yum.
you got all the great ingredients in there so I know it was wonderful…just wish I could have slipped in at the table…
This is my kind of soup!
Just recently found your blog and I love it! I’m just like you when it comes to food magazines. I buy and subscribe to too many! I just can’t resist them. This recipe looks wonderful! I look forward to visiting back often! :)
Yes, I want some seafood stew!!! And a couple slice of bread to go along with it. Yum!!!