Our Summer Seafood Stew with Corn features mussels, scallops and shrimp swimming in a spicy broth with sweet notes from flavorful Homemade Corn Stock! Served with crusty bread for dipping, this easy one pot meal is always a crowd pleaser!

While regular vegetable broth will still yield excellent results, I definitely recommend trying corn stock for an extra burst of summer freshness if you have the time (it only takes five ingredients!).

bowl of soup with corn on the cob, mussels, scallops and shrimp

Key ingredients

Homemade Corn Stock: The base for this seafood stew is my easy corn stock, which is made with just bare corn cobs, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. It’s a great way to use up leftover cobs and it’s super simple to make — just add everything to a pot and let it simmer away for an hour and a half!

Corn stock substitutes: If you don’t have the time to whip up a batch of corn stock, you can definitely substitute regular vegetable broth or chicken broth. The stew won’t have those sweet notes to it, but it will still be savory and delicious!

Liquids: In addition to the corn stock, I like to add dry white wine and heavy cream. Feel free to skip the white wine if you’d like.

Seafood: For this seafood stew I like to use a combination of mussels, scallops and shrimp, but really you can use any of your favorite fish and shellfish. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time as necessary and add any longer-cooking ingredients to the stew earlier so that nothing overcooks.

Vegetables and aromatics: Yellow onion, garlic and a few diced roma tomatoes add depth and body to the soup.

Seasoning: I used paprika, dried oregano, cayenne and a bit of fresh thyme to garnish.

Step by step instructions

Preparing the seafood

If you’re using frozen and mostly prepared seafood you can just add everything straight to the pot without evening thawing (just add a bit of extra time for cooking). And if using fresh seafood, here a few tips for cleaning and prep:

Mussels: If using fresh mussels, make sure to start by discarding any with cracked or damaged shells. When you find mussels with open shells, tap them lightly against your counter. If the shell closes, it means the mussel is alive and okay to use. If the shell remains open, discard as the mussel may have gone bad. Some mussels may have already been debearded — if not, you’ll need to pull out the beards yourself (they look like a small mass of tiny hair-like fibers). You can easily remove the beard by pulling it directly away from the mussel.
Sea scallops: When using fresh scallops, remember to remove the side muscle if it’s still attached. These little pieces are tough to chew and easy to peel off, so it’s definitely worth taking the time to remove the small rectangular piece on the side of each scallop.
Shrimp: I generally use large or extra-large raw shrimp (tail-off, peeled and deveined).

Making the soup

Start by sauteing onion, garlic and a few chopped tomatoes in a bit of butter.

Next add the spices — paprika, oregano and cayenne — and pour in a bit of white wine and let it cook until reduced by half.

Then just add your corn stock or vegetable broth. At this point you’ll toss in your favorite seafood and simmer the stew until everything is just cooked through.

And for the finishing touches, I like to add in a few splashes of heavy cream and a bit of fresh thyme.

Storage

Summer seafood stew can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Reheat over low heat on the stove until warmed through.

Serving ideas

In addition to using corn stock as the base for this stew, I also always add a piece of fresh corn on the cob to each bowl. You’ll just need two ears of corn for four people. Cut each ear in half and cook them directly in the stew, in a separate pot of boiling water or even on the grill for some extra flavor!

And then to round out the meal, I always like to serve something to soak up that delicious broth. While crusty bread is my favorite option, other great sides could be rice or maybe even more corn — think cornbread or polenta!