Beef Stew

Basic crab stew recipes generally include a few everyday spices and a few everyday vegetables. Most recipes also use chicken stock rather than fish stock, which can be hard to find. But, when making gourmet seafood stew for your own family, nothing but the best will do.

You can make basic crab stew on the stove, or you can use a crockpot and slow cook it for several hours. Either way, it's delicious and perfect for when eaten in front of a fireplace on a cold winter evening.

Beef Stew

Crab Stew Recipe

Ingredients You Will Need:

1 pound frozen crab meat

4 cups fish stock (see recipe below)

1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes

1 can kernel corn

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 spice bag (see recipe below)

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 bay leaves

Set the frozen crab meat into a shallow dish, and set aside. Combine all other ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring it to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat, and simmer for about a half hour.

Remove the bay leaves, and add the crab meat to the stew. Simmer the stew until the crab is fully cooked. Do not serve undercooked, but take care not to overcook the stew, either. Serve with thick slices of bread.

Fish Stock

Ingredients You Will Need:

2 pounds of fish (heads and tails optional)

1 large onion

½ cup celery, including leaves

½ lemon, sliced

Whole cloves

Whole black peppercorns

Parsley

Salt

Boil all ingredients in about eight cups of water. Simmer for about one hour, stirring often. Strain the stock, discarding fish and bones.

Spice Bags

Spice bags can be made with cheesecloth, intended to be placed into the stew and withdrawn - bag and all before serving - or to be opened up and dumped into the stew when you make it. Use one tablespoon of each of the following spices: rosemary, thyme, parsley, saffron, black pepper and garlic salt.

When cooking crab stew, some people add saffron to make it more exotic. While saffron is not necessary in crab stew, this spice gives ordinary stew a new and different taste. When cooking with saffron, use only a pinch. The flavor will be more intense the second day.

Basic Crab Stew Recipe

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