Grilled Cast Iron Seafood Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 recipe Slow-Cooked Onions and Tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 pounds 16/20 count shrimp, preferably with heads on, peeled and deveined; reserve shells and heads for seafood broth
• 2 yellow onions, cut into small dice
• 2 carrots, cut into small dice
• 5 celery ribs, cut into small dice
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ripe tomato, cut into medium dice
• Leaves from 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped; reserve stems for seafood broth
• 1 whole snapper (2 to 3 pounds), scaled, gutted, and fillets removed; reserve head and bones for seafood broth
• 4 quarts cold water
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 dried chiles, such as chile arbol
• 1 recipe Roasted Garlic and Jalapeño Aïoli
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 5 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded (discard any that won’t close)
• Wood chips, soaked
• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• Toasted slices French bread
• Hot sauce to taste

1. Make the Slow-Cooked Onions and Tomatoes.
2. While the onions and tomatoes cook, make the seafood broth. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add the shrimp shells, and sauté until they turn bright red and take on a toasted aroma. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and parsley stems, along with the fish bones and head from the snapper. Add the water, bay leaves, and dried chiles, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 45 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh strainer, and set aside. Discard solids.
3. While the broth simmers, make the Roasted Garlic and Jalapeño Aïoli.
4. Build a charcoal fire in a grill with a lid. When the coals have burned to an even white, nestle a Lodge 9-quart cast iron Dutch oven in the embers. Transfer the Slow-Cooked Onions and Tomatoes and seafood broth to the pot, and stir in the salt, black pepper, and cayenne; let come to a simmer.
5. Meanwhile, cut the snapper fillets into 2-inch squares. When the mixture is simmering, add the fish to the pot, along with the shrimp and mussels. Throw some soaked wood chips (any hardwood variety is fine) on the fire, and close the lid. Cook for about 5 minutes, then stir. Continue cooking with the grill lid down until the mussels have opened and the fish and shrimp are cooked. (Discard any mussels that will not open.) Gently stir in the crabmeat, green onions, and chopped parsley. Heat thoroughly. Ladle the stew into bowls, and serve with slabs of toasted bread and the aïoli on the side for diners to drizzle over the top of their stew as they prefer. Add hot sauce as you like.