Quick Weeknight Fish Stew with Olives by Alison Roman

“Are there any recipes you’re really not looking forward to making?” - at least 100 people 

“Yeah, there’s this fish stew recipe with olives.” - me 

(360 days later)

“Really, you’re gonna let a stew stand between you and accomplishing your goal? Suck it up.” - this project 
“........................................... Fine.” - me 

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the makings of a good broth

If I sound like a broken record, I’m sorry. But I have to tell the truth! Once again, this stew was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. Will I make it again? Probably not. But at least I didn’t suffer while eating it. (If you’re new to the blog, please know that if you love seafood stew, you’ll probably love this — seafood stew just ain’t my thing.) 

What I liked most was the tomato-based broth. I chose to use a ripe, medium-sized tomato instead of a can of diced tomatoes (Alison gives us the option). Fresh tomato was definitely the way to go. It gave a subtler tomato taste and color to the stew than canned would have, which I found to be just enough to brighten things up. The broth also contains toasted shallot rings and garlic slices, reduced white wine, chili flakes, bay leaves, and water. Just reading that ingredient list tells you it’s got to be a solid broth base. 

The seafood part, now that’s where I falter. The recipe calls for cod (which we’ve established tastes too fishy), mussels (my first time buying my own mussels!), and shrimp (yes, more shrimp). Mussels are cooked first using the same method as you’d use with clams — nestling them in hot liquid and covering your pot with a lid to create steam. Within five or so minutes, those babies were opened. Cod and shrimp also need time to cook in the broth with the lid on, which took only another six minutes. 

The olives and herbs really brought everything together. I opted for crushed Castelvetrano olives over black olives for their obviously superior flavor. Finely chopped parsley and dill added an element of freshness and vibrant color that really helped with appetite appeal. I made a half-recipe and ate about a fourth of it. Jordan had a few bites too, but we got no where near to finishing it. 

As far as the recipe title goes, this recipe is relatively “quick” when it comes to stews, but it still takes a good bit of ingredient preparation and comes together in about 45 minutes. I guess it all depends on your definition of “quick.” 

Thank God that’s over with. 

220 recipes cooked, 5 to go.

Shrimp in the Shells with Lots of Garlic and Probably Too Much Butter by Alison Roman

Of all of Alison’s shrimp recipes, this one was easily my favorite. I’ve never met a combination of sliced garlic, tomato paste, and butter that I didn’t like. Even one covering shrimp. 

And that’s just it, really. I sauteed several garlic cloves and two tablespoons of tomato paste in olive oil, and yes, probably too much butter. Red pepper flakes add a touch of heat as the shelled shrimp hit the skillet. Four minutes later, they were cooked through and ready to eat. I squeezed half a lemon over the steaming shrimp. I stood at the stove and peeled away one of the shells before obediently dragging the shrimp through the hot butter and garlic still sizzling in the pan. It was delightful. I ate several more, and left the rest for Jordan. 

This recipe confirmed two things for me. One, even if a recipe does not call for deveined shrimp, I will still devein them. I have to draw the line somewhere. And two, I sometimes like shrimp. But only when they’re piping hot and doused with other strong flavors. Cold shrimp? Forget it..

205 recipes cooked, 20 to go.

Any Excuse to Make Shrimp Cocktail by Alison Roman

a small NYE crew to eat my shrimp cocktail

Hello, and welcome to my Shrimp Confessional. I vow to tell the truth, and nothing but. 

Confession #1: My one and only excuse to make shrimp cocktail is the fact that this recipe exists in Nothing Fancy. There are no other excuses. Shrimp cocktail has always made my stomach do a tiny flip. I can tolerate shrimp when it’s warm, not when it’s cold. 

Confession #2: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually followed some of Molly Baz’s advice instead Alison Roman’s (smh). Alison’s instructions say to “peel, but not devein” the shrimp before boiling. She then tells us we can devein the shrimp if it reallllly grosses us out, but she promises it’s not a big deal. IDK about you, but eating poop is a big deal to me, so I had no choice but to devein the shrimp. But how to go about it? Alison seems to assume that readers already know their way around shrimp.

I received Molly’s “Cook This Book” for Christmas from my younger brother. I went to see if Molly had anything to say about shrimp, and lo and behold, she wrote a shrimp cocktail recipe as well. Reading her recipe sort of felt like cheating, but I truly needed to learn what to do. Molly's recipe includes a QR code that leads to a 45-second video demonstrating how to devein shrimp. It was all I needed to feel confident. (You know those YouTube how-to videos that spend the first few minutes just promoting their channel before they actually get to the part you were hoping to see? Well Molly’s video was not that, and I just want to say, thank you.)

I faced a moral dilemma. Molly says to devein, but not peel the shrimp before cooking. Alison literally says the opposite. What’s a dame to do? As I confessed earlier, I actually went with Molly on this one. To devein, she instructs us to take a sharp pair of kitchen scissors, cut a straight line down the shell on the shrimp’s back, and using a paper towel, pull out the vein from the head-end. After the shrimp is cooked, then you can remove the shells. This method worked well for me. 

Molly’s cooking method differs slightly, as well. She says to bring water to a boil, drop the shrimp in, cover the pot with a lid, and turn the heat off. After 4 minutes, the shrimp are ready. And she was right. Alison says to keep the water boiling and cook the shrimp without a lid. I’m sure it’d produce the same result, but if I’m going to cheat, I might as well cheat all the way. I still boiled the shrimp with a quartered onion and peppercorns per Alison’s recipe. I’m told that it added great flavor to the shrimp…

Confession #3: I didn’t taste the shrimp. I truly was not in the mood. Plus, there’s something about removing poop from a creature that removes its appetite appeal. Like I said, though, I’m told that they had a nice flavor, and the cocktail sauce seemed to be a hit, too. I used yuzu kosho as my hot sauce of choice, which prevented the tomato flavor from dominating the sauce. I also went with Alison’s directive to use Heinz ketchup, because why not. 

202 recipes cooked, 23 to go.

Grilled Shrimp with Crushed Fresh Tomatoes and Lots of Lime by Alison Roman

Shrimp just doesn’t do it for me. That’s what I decided after making this recipe. Don’t get me wrong - the flavors were awesome, and the whole thing was very simple to make. If you like shrimp, you’ll love this dish. But no matter the flavors, shrimp’s chewy texture and less than appealing shape will always be roadblocks for me. I just had to put that out there. 

new Chicago kitchen!

But let’s move on to the recipe itself. Because again, shrimp lovers should definitely make this one. 

It starts with the crushing of a large tomato in your hands. Enjoy it -- this may be the only truly playful moment of your day. Let your hands squeeze every last bit of tomato pulp until no large chunks are left. Then mix in four grated garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. 

Next, shrimp in their shells (my first time buying shelled shrimp!) spend time in a large skillet. Only a few minutes, though. Shrimp cooks quickly! The recipe gives options for a grill and a skillet, but I am sadly grill-less once more. Piping hot and opaque, the cooked shrimp get tossed with crushed tomatoes, and doused with lime juice. And don’t forget, 2 tablespoons of butter get added, too. The steam from the shrimp melt the butter, adding a necessary richness to offset the thinness of the tomato juices. 

I served the shrimp over rice with roasted carrots. It was a lovely meal, but with Jordan and I not loving shrimp, we didn’t finish it, and sadly, chose not to save the leftovers. I hate few things more than wasting food. And I also know myself. I know that that leftover shrimp will never get eaten. So we let it go right away. 

Ultimately, butter, tomato, garlic, and lime juice are good friends. Let them dress your shrimp, your squid, your fish, your tortilla chips. Trust in their friendship, no matter what you pair them with. 

136 recipes cooked, 94 to go.