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    Home » Recipes » Fish and Seafood Favorites

    Modified: 23 Apr, 2025 · Published: 28 Jul, 2022 by Zoe Forestier Villegas · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Best Ever Quick Shrimp and Scallop Stew

    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    This is one of those recipes that I use in my repertoire quite often. It is packed with flavor, extremely quick to prepare, and, most importantly, versatile.

    an image of pan stew with shrimp, scallops, and tomatoes.

    The versatility of this recipe is unparalleled. I like serving this stew in an eggplant boat if you are following keto, but it goes well in a bed of pasta or rice (if you are on a keto cheat day, lol), or a bowl of cauliflower grits, or funche.

    To be completely honest, I do not know if there is such a term as 'pan stew,' but if there isn't, there should be. Making quick, thick sauced protein-heavy products such as these make for quick and easy meals that will help you in a bind. A similar recipe posted a year back was my Seafood Pomodoro recipe.

    Jump To
    • Ingredients
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Equipment
    • Instructions
    • My best advice
    • This recipe goes well with
    • More Summer Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    Some ingredients in this particular recipe, like eggplant and the juice of the cooked mussels, might not be available to you if you are not making the eggplant boats or did not reserve the liquid from the cooked mussels. Keep reading, and you will find variations and substitutions for these.

    ingredients for shrimp and scallop pan-stew: Shrims, bay scallops, onion, garlic, sofrito, eggplant (optional if serving in eggplant boat), canned tomatoes, broth, and wine.
    • Rock Shrimp
    • Scallops
    • Olive oil
    • Onions
    • Garlic
    • Canned Diced Tomatoes
    • Fish or Chicken Stock or Broth (if you saved the liquid of cooked mussels like I would, use that instead)
    • White Wine
    • Eggplant (if serving it in roasted eggplant boats)

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Substitutions

    Just because I like something does not mean that you will too. Sometimes, dietary or socio-cultural restrictions play a big part in how food is prepared. Let me share some substitutions that might help you enjoy this recipe.

    • Wine - I like adding wine to many of my recipes because it adds a bitter-sweetness to the food as well as balances acids in vegetables and fruits, in this case, tomato. If you do not want to use Wine, substitute with a tablespoon of lemon juice. The acid of the lemon will cancel the acid of the tomato and leave a balanced flavor.
    • Eggplant - Not many people like eggplant. Substitute it with Zucchini or Summer Squash instead.
    • Vegetarian - If seafood is not your cup of tea, then skip the seafood altogether and increase the vegetables. Do a medley of eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms instead.

    Variations

    I mentioned this recipe is versatile, and here are three adaptations to help you either try new things or keep you from falling into a rut.

    • Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
    • Sundried Tomatoes or Roasted Plum Tomatoes - Sun-dried tomatoes add a touch of tartness to the sauce, while roasted plum tomatoes (especially if roasted on an open fire) will add a hint of char and smokiness.
    • Kid-friendly - make the basic tomato sauce and set a small portion aside before adding the seafood. Before serving, consider pureeing the sauce to make it more appealing.

    Seafood is a highly allergenic food. Please keep a close eye on your children as you are cooking and serving seafood. Scroll down for more food safety tips

    Equipment

    My pan of choice for this recipe is a deep wall saute pan. This pan has a regular long handle, with pan sides about 3-inches deep, and sports a helper handle for when the pan goes into the oven. I do not use this pan enough in my cooking, only because I am partial to cast iron, but with the amount of acid between the tomatoes and the wine, I decided to leave my cast iron alone.

    This is a great pan for casseroles and foods that need to go into the oven, mainly because all its parts are stainless steel. A great investment for a small kitchen or a tight budget.

    Cuisinart Stainless Steel, 5.5 Quart Sauté Pan w/ Cover, Helper Handle, Chef's Classic, 733-30H
    Cuisinart Stainless Steel, 5.5 Quart Sauté Pan w/ Cover, Helper Handle, Chef's Classic, 733-30H
    $69.99
    Buy Now
    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
    06/10/2025 05:00 pm GMT

    Instructions

    As I stated in the title, this is a quick recipe. Depending on how you bought them, the longest time will be spent on the preparations as shrimp could be time-consuming. I suggest having all ingredients diced, peeled, and opened before beginning cooking so that your cooking time is effortless.

    sautéing onions, garlic and sofrito
    1. Warm a saute pan to medium heat. Add olive oil. Once you see the oil ripple as you move the pan, add onions. Saute onions until tender, then add garlic.
    adding eggplant
    1. If serving sauce inside an eggplant boat, add the small pieces removed from the boat to the onions and garlic. cook until the eggplant softens and renders some of its water. About 5 minutes.
    adding tomatoes
    1. Add the diced tomatoes. The tomato's acid will help cook the eggplant faster, deglaze the pan, and lift all the stuck-on flavors.
    cooking eggplant and tomatoes until sauce thickens
    1. Cook until the eggplant has shrunk in size and the tomatoes have thickened.
    adding raw shrimp and scallops
    1. Add the shrimp and the scallops. Remember it does not take long to cook. Keep turning the seafood into the sauce with a wooden spoon until you see the shrimps get a darker pink coloring and the scallops thicken and become opaque.
    adding broth and wine to stew
    1. Add broth or stock and wine. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust flavor.
    picture of pan stew ready to be tasted
    1. Scoop sauce into a roasted hollowed eggplant and serve. Top with shredded Parmesan and parsley.

    My best advice

    Hint: When cooking seafood in a sauce like this, remember that the sauce will retain some heat and acts like a cooking surface. It is okay to stop the cooking before the seafood is fully cooked and allow the residual heat of the sauce to finish cooking the seafood. In the end, you will end up with tender, juicy seafood and not rubbery pieces of shrimp and scallops.

    What is the best way to buy seafood?

    Always buy seafood from a reputable source. If buying fresh is not an option, buy frozen.

    What should I look for when buying fresh seafood?

    Fresh seafood should not have a fishy smell, but rather a fresh salt-water/sea smell. Touching might not be an available option when purchasing, but when you get home feel your seafood for sliminess, which there should be none.

    What is the best way to store raw seafood?

    At restaurants we always kept a light coat of ice on our seafood, always trying to maint it at cold temperatures. At home, place the bag of seafood on a bowl and place a light covering of ice until time to cook it. Change the water periodically. Always buy seafood for use that day unless, of course, frozen. Try your best not to store fresh seafood past 2 days in the refrigerator.

    This recipe goes well with

    • Crispy Eggplant Boat
    • Seafood Pomodoro
    • Funche
    • White Rice

    More Summer Recipes

    I’d love to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and rating below. Let’s connect on Instagram, and don’t forget to join my weekly email list for fresh new recipes.

    📖 Recipe

    an image of pan stew with shrimp, scallops, and tomatoes.

    Best Ever Quick Shrimp and Scallop Stew

    Zoé Forestier
    This is one of those recipes that I use in my repertoire quite often. It is packed with flavor, extremely quick to prepare, and, most importantly, versatile. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    0 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Main Course, Seafood
    Cuisine Puerto Rican
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 275 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lbs Rock Shrimp
    • 1 lbs Bay Scallops
    • 2 tablespoon Olive oil
    • 1 medium Onion peeled and small diced
    • 4 cloves Garlic peeled and minced
    • 1 can Diced Tomatoes
    • 1 cup Fish or Chicken Stock or Broth if you saved the liquid of cooked mussels like I would use that instead
    • ¼ cup White Wine

    Instructions
     

    • Warm a saute pan to medium heat. Add olive oil. Once you see the oil ripple as you move the pan, add onions. Saute onions until tender, then add garlic.
    • If serving sauce inside an eggplant boat, add the small pieces removed from the boat to the onions and garlic. cook until the eggplant softens and renders some of its water. About 5 minutes.
    • Add the diced tomatoes. The tomato's acid will help cook the eggplant faster, deglaze the pan, and lift all the stuck-on flavors. 
    • Cook until the eggplant has shrunk in size and the tomatoes have thickened.
    • Add the shrimp and the scallops. Remember it does not take long to cook. Keep turning the seafood into the sauce with a wooden spoon until you see the shrimps get a darker pink coloring and the scallops thicken and become opaque.
    • Add broth or stock and wine if used. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust flavor.
    • Scoop sauce into a roasted hollowed eggplant and serve. Top with shredded Parmesan and parsley.
    QR Code

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2cupsCalories: 275kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 31gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 171mgSodium: 1318mgPotassium: 674mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 334IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 117mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?If you try this recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @girlmeetsfire_puertoricancookn/ so I can check it out and share your creation!
    « Drunken Mussels, The Easiest Way To Cook Mussels
    Chart A New Dinner With Delicious And Crispy Eggplant Boats »
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
    Zoe standin in the kitchen smiling

    Hola! I'm Zoe. I love all things food and enjoy cooking. I created this site to reconnect with my Puerto Rican heritage while living in the United States. This is a great place to reconnect if you are floating in the diaspora. I would love to hear from you!

    About Zoe →

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