Christmas Eve Seafood Stew

An Italian Christmas Eve tradition involves a multi-course seafood dinner where you might enjoy a delicious seafood stew. This holiday dish is sure to impress. just round it off with some crusty bread and perhaps a salad and cheese course.

Although this is a low-fat recipe, it doesn't skimp on flavor.

Low-Fat Seafood Stew

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large yellow onions, diced

1 fennel bulb, chopped and diced, fennel tops reserved

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon thyme

2 teaspoons crushed rosemary

1 bay leaf

4 cups bottled clam juice

2 cups dry white wine

28-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

2 dozen small clams, scrubbed

2 dozen mussels, scrubbed

2 pounds sea bass fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 dozen large shrimp (20 to 25 shrimp per pound size)

Three 4-ounce frozen lobster tails, defrosted, cut into thirds

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and sauté until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes total. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf and sauté 3 minutes more, or until the onion is translucent.

2. Add the clam juice, wine, and tomatoes. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

3. When the liquid is at a simmer, add the clams and mussels and cook 2 minutes. Add the sea bass, shrimp, and lobster tails and cook for a few more minutes until the shrimp is pink and the fish and lobster is opaque. Be careful not to overcook. While the stew cooks, chop the fennel fronds.

4. Ladle into bowls, top with fennel fronds, and serve immediately.

Break up this recipe to make your last-minute preparations as brief as possible. Prepare the recipe through Step 2 either the morning of the dinner or the night before. Just bring the liquid mixture to a boil and proceed from Step 3.