Italian Fish Stew

This restaurant-quality Italian fish stew is quick and easy to make but bursting with deliciously authentic Italian flavors. Inspired by one of my favorite dishes in Italy, this surprisingly flavorful fish stew is packed with tender white fish, clams, herbs, and a delicious tomato broth.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• This stew is so good – like “almost impossible to believe it’s this good” good. The flavors of the garlicky crushed tomatoes, the briny clam juice, and bright lemon meld together beautifully for a restaurant-quality meal made right at home.
• It’s incredibly filling without being heavy. Thanks to all the seafood in this stew, one serving has 38 grams of delicious protein.
• This recipe makes approximately 4 servings, which means dinner for two plus leftovers! Store any leftover Italian fish stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the stew is just warmed through.

Chef’s Tips

• Avoid using sweet, fruity-flavored white wines in this recipe. Instead choose a dry white wine – like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.
• You don’t want the fish to be overcooked and dry, which is why we add it in at the end. Be careful not to let the Italian fish stew cook too long after you add in the fish.
• How do you know your fish is ready? It’ll flake! Insert a fork into the fish at a 45° angle. Aim for the thickest part of the piece of fish. Twist the fork and pull up a little. If the fish flakes easily, and the flakes are opaque, then your fish is ready! If the fish resists and is still a little translucent, keep cooking – but keep an eye on it, it’ll cook fast!
• I can’t recommend enough that you serve this stew with warm pieces of a thick, crusty bread – like sourdough, Italian, or French bread. Use it to sop up the leftover liquid at the bottom of your bowl, or dunk it in your Italian fish stew right from the start.

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

4.50 from 4 votes

Italian Fish Stew

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 30 minutes minutes

Total 45 minutes minutes

This surprisingly flavorful fish stew is packed with tender white fish, clams, herbs, and a delicious tomato broth.

Print

Pin

Save Saved!

Remove Ads

4 servings

Cook Mode(toggle on to prevent screen dimming)

Equipment

• Large, heavy-bottomed pot with lid
• Large wooden spoon

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ ¼ cup sliced green onions
• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic approximately 2 large cloves
• ▢ 1 anchovy fillet or ½ teaspoon anchovy paste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ ⅓ cup dry white wine or seafood stock
• ▢ 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1 cup clam juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ¾ cup water
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds white fish cut into large bite-size pieces, see Notes
• ▢ 1 pound clams optional
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice juice from half of 1 large lemon
• ▢ freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

• ▢ olive oil
• ▢ lemon zest
• ▢ crusty bread

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• Place large pot on stovetop over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to pot and continue heating until oil is hot and shimmery.
• When oil is hot, add ¼ cup sliced green onions, 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic, 1 anchovy fillet, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Stir to incorporate, then sauté ingredients until green onions begin to wilt, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
  
• Add ⅓ cup dry white wine to pot and stir to incorporate. Increase heat under pot to high. Bring liquid to boil and let boil 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by approximately 33%.
• Add 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup clam juice, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, and ¾ cup water to pot. Stir to incorporate.
  
• Bring mixture to simmer, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until color deepens slightly, approximately 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Once color has deepened, add ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ pounds white fish, and 1 pound clams to pot and stir to incorporate.
• Increase heat under pot to high. Cover pot and cook until clams open and fish flakes easily with fork, approximately 5 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Stir to incorporate.
  
• Ladle stew into serving bowls. Drizzle additional olive oil on top and serve with lemon zest and crusty bread.

• White Fish: Orange roughy, halibut, sea bass, or cod will all work for this recipe!
• White Wine: To substitute for the white wine, try fish, chicken, or vegetable broth, or white wine vinegar.
• Clam Juice: Seafood stock would be a fine substitution if you don’t have clam juice. You can also use water, but it won’t have as much flavor.

Click for Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 333calProtein: 38gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 850mgPotassium: 672mgTotal Carbs: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gNet Carbs: 11gVitamin A: 361IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!

Rate this Recipe Tag @40Aprons on Instagram

Other Delicious Stews & Soups

• Healthy Spanish Chicken and Rice Stew (Whole30, Low Carb, Keto)
• Best Ever Tom Kha Gai Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
• Healthy Authentic Seafood Gumbo (Gluten Free, Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)
• Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
• Chinese Vegetable Soup
• She Crab Soup
• Creamy Irish Potato Soup