Ingredient of the Week: Shellfish

Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau say that spring is the perfect time of the year to get great shellfish.

But what should you do with all those delicious oysters, clams, and mussels?

Douglas recommends making a fish stew.

“I think it’s kind of the sensibility of putting all the things together in a shellfish stew,” he said.

Rautureau says a fish soup is a common dish for coastal cultures and making stock is the best way to start.

“We make a fish stock first, and that becomes the base for your soup,” he says, adding that you can even make a stock from shellfish.

“You open them up, you take them out of the pot, and you use that broth to add a little cream, tomato product, a little garlic, thyme, and then you have the base for a fish soup,” he says. “It makes it very, very beautiful.”

Douglas adds that we’re still in the month for clams, mussels,, and oysters.

“It makes a great meal for not very much money,” says Rautureau. “You can do a beautiful, big pot of mussels or clams … and have something delicious on your table.”

Whole Foods Markets are a proud sponsor of Seattle Kitchen’s Ingredient of the Week.