This easy monkfish stew is packed with flavor (saffron, onion, garlic, tomatoes and kelp), chickpeas and chock full of seafood goodness – tender bites of monkfish and jumbo shrimp. Since monkfish is an less familiar fish to many, having shrimp in the stew makes it a bit more familiar, and perhaps, more inviting, for those guests of yours who may be hesitant to try something new.
This fish stew is hearty, rich, aromatic and flavorful – and very easy to prepare. It’s perfect for chilly evenings and makes a wonderful holiday meal. Serve with a large loaf of warm crusty bread and salted butter.
WHAT IS MONKFISH?
I go into details about what monkfish is in this blog post, but basically it’s a mild, white, firm, meaty fish with a texture and flavor similar to lobster, but at a lower price point. It’s local in our New England waters and is a sustainable choice at the fish counter. One thing to note about monkfish is that typically it is sold with a grey membrane over the fillet that will need to be removed prior to cooking, because the membrane will seize up when heated, making the fish a bit unpleasant (but not unsafe) to eat. You can ask your fish market to do this for you, or do it yourself at home with a paring knife. Don’t be intimidated by the process, it just takes a few minutes.
Monkfish is a great fish to use for fish stews, soups and chowders because it’s firm, meaty and won’t fall apart. We love it in chowder and curries – as well as simply pan fried.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
The ingredients you need to make this fish stew include:
- monkfish – we used frozen and thawed monkfish from Red’s Best
- olive oil
- sweet onion
- garlic
- saffron (a little bit goes a long way)
- dry white wine
- canned chopped tomatoes
- clam juice (or fish broth would work too)
- chickpeas – canned, drained and rinsed
- kelp cubes (from Atlantic Sea Farms)
- bay leaves
- shrimp (optional, but we love having it in the stew)
- butter
- parsley (optional)
- black pepper
- lemon (for serving)
- crusty bread with salted butter (for serving)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add olive oil to a large stockpot over medium heat. Brown fish on each side, 1-2 minutes, don’t cook through.
- Heat remaining olive oil in pot. Add onion and saute a few minutes over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and sauté about a minute. Add saffron threads and heat an additional minute or so. Add white wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits using a wooden spoon.
- Add tomatoes, clam juice, chickpeas, kelp and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add shrimp. Cook five minutes then add the monkfish back in. Cook for a few more minutes, until fish and shrimp are cooked through.
- Remove bay leaves; stir in butter.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and freshly ground black pepper.
- Spoon into bowls. Serve with fresh lemon and crusty bread.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Would you recommend serving this as part of the Feast of the 7 Fishes?
- Yes! This would be great served in small portions as part of the Feast of the 7 Fishes. It would also be great served for any holiday meal.
Can you use other fish and shellfish in this recipe?
- Yes! You can use any fish you’d like – we chose monkfish because it’s meaty and won’t fall apart in the stew. You could use salmon or swordfish, as those fish are quite meaty as well. As for shellfish, we love to add mussels or clams to this stew towards the end of cooking time, so you could add in place of the shrimp or in addition to.
Is there a substitute for the clam juice?
- You could use fish broth or vegetable broth.
MORE MONKFISH RECIPES
We think you’ll enjoy these other monkfish recipes too:
- Pan Fried Monkfish
- Monkfish Curry
- Monkfish Rolls from Snacking in Sneakers
- Monkfish Soup with Ginger, Lemongrass and Lime from Fearless Eating
- Bourride: A Classic French Fish Stew from Fearless Eating
Monkfish Stew
Ingredients
- 16 ounces monkfish cut into 1-inch cubes, thin grey membrane removed, if frozen, thawed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium vidalia onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 26.46 ounces diced tomatoes (1 box)
- 16 ounces clam juice
- 15.5 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 4 kelp cubes from Atlantic Sea Farms
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 ounces shrimp (any size), peeled and deveined (look for BAP or ASC certified sustainable shrimp)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Fresh parsley chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
For serving
- Lemon wedges
- Crusty bread
- Salted butter
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add monkfish. Brown fish on each side, 1-2 minutes, don’t cook through. Remove monkfish from pot and set aside.
- Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in pot. Add onion and saute a few minutes over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and sauté about a minute. Add saffron threads and heat an additional minute or so. Add white wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits using a wooden spoon.
- Add tomatoes, clam juice, chickpeas, kelp and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add shrimp. Cook five minutes then add the monkfish back in. Cook for a few more minutes, until fish and shrimp are cooked through.
- Remove bay leaves. Stir in butter.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and freshly ground black pepper.
- Spoon into bowls. Serve with fresh lemon and crusty bread, if desired.
Nutrition
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