My mother has always been an amazing cook. That is great news for me when I was living under her roof, but not so good news now that I live on my own. Trying to recreate my favorite Colombian dishes from my childhood is always a challenge. I’m typically not afraid of failing a once or twice on a recipe before I get it right. However, for cazuela de mariscos (Colombian seafood stew), the price tag of the ingredients was enough to keep me from motivating myself to take the chance. But, as my mother gets older, I feel like it is my duty to get the skills to recreate all of the dishes that she would make for the family.
So, armed with my mother’s cazuela de mariscos, I set about the expensive task of gathering all of the ingredients to make this. And, ultimately, it turned out pretty well! Score one for Kay, and for Colombian dishes to pass down to posterity.
I posted a picture of this stew on social media and got so many requests for the recipe that it would have been a sin to keep from posting it on the blog. The next time that I make this, I will try to take step-by-step photos so that you all can see the entire process. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Make sure that you get your ingredients ready before starting. The seafood will cook very quickly, so you won’t have time to chop vegetables once you start the process.
Have 4 cups of hot (but not boiling) fish stock ready. Homemade fish stock is best, but store bought will also work.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil. When the butter is melted, add diced onions and cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
While the onions cook, you should blanche your shellfish. Bring some heavily salted water to a boil, then add the shrimp, lobster, and squid. Boil for 1-2 minutes, then drain. You can stop the cooking process by soaking the shellfish in a bowl of ice water after boiling. Sometimes, I skip this step if I don’t mind firmer shellfish.
Once the onions are ready, add the garlic and saute for an additional minute before you add the red pepper. Saute for another 5 minutes or so before you add your spices. Stir until combined, then add the vinegar and continue cooking until the vinegar appears to have evaporated, then add the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
Add the coconut cream, then stir and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture starts to simmer, add the fish and cook until the fish has cooked through (about 5-8 minutes, depending on the size of your fish chunks). Once that is done, add the hot fish stock and bring to a simmer again before you add your cooked shellfish. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.
If you want a thicker stew, you can add a cornstarch slurry before you remove from the heat. Dissolve 1/4 cup of cornstarch in 1/2 cup of water (or extra fish stock, if you have it). Slowly add this to the simmering stew until you get the desired thickness. I’m trying to watch my carb intake, so I normally skip this part.
Traditionally, cazuela de mariscos is served with a side of rice, but enjoy it however you life. It’s a pretty hearty meal on its own.
You can add additional seafood to this dish, or even take one of the seafood items if you don’t like it. My mom has added octopus, mussels, and scallops to the stew in the past. Just be sure to blanch your seafood prior to adding it to the stew in order to avoid some of the briney taste. According to my mom, cazuela de mariscos also freezes well. So, you can make a large batch and freeze for the future.
Cazuela de Mariscos
Ingredients
- 1 quart fish stock (homemade is preferable), hot
- 1lb snapper fillets, cut into large chunks
- 1lb extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1lb calamari rings
- 10oz lobster tail, peeled, deveined, and cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 cups (approx 10 oz) diced white onion
- 1/2 cup (approx 2.5 oz) diced red pepper
- 1 packet Goya seasoning (with azafran)
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
- 1/4 cup Goya Spanish-style tomato sauce
- 1 14oz can unsweetened coconut cream
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Directions
Bring a large pot of water with salt to a boil. Add the shrimp, calamari, and lobster. Boil for 1-2 minutes, then strain and transfer to a bowl filled with ice water. Set aside.
Heat a large pot or dutch oven on medium to medium high heat. Add the butter and olive oil. When the butter has melted, add the onion and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, and saute for another minute or until fragrant. Add the chopped red pepper and continue sauteeing until softened.
Add the Goya seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin powder, pepper, and salt. Stir until completely combined, then add the vinegar and cook until mostly evaporated. Stir in the tomato sauce, then the coconut cream. Bring to a simmer.
Add the fish chunks and cook, gently stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Stir in the fish stock, then the remaining cooked seafood. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve hot.
NOTE: You can also thicken the stew some more with a cornstarch slurry, if you like.