More Than Recipes
Good Buddy Butter Club
Menu
Profile
Boatman’s seafood stew with tender white fish, softened onions, parsley, and toasted Italian bread in a rich tomato broth, served in a shallow ceramic bowl.

Boatman’s Seafood Stew

A splash of white wine lifts the tomato broth around tender pieces of fish. Bring thick bread to the table; the rustic sauce deserves every last swipe.

By Betty Lou Gardner1 hr 55 minUpdated 2026-08-25

This Boatman’s Stew is a rustic, satisfying seafood dish built around tender white fish simmered in a rich tomato broth with onions, parsley, and a splash of white wine! Served over thick slices of toasted bread, it strikes a perfect balance between soup and stew, making it an ideal meal for cool evenings or casual gatherings around the table.

Betty Lou Gardner in a family archival photograph

Granny’s Kitchen Notes

From Betty Lou Gardner

The onions should almost disappear into the broth before the fish goes in. I use the thickest slices of bread I can get away with. The fish gets added last and left alone. The bread in the bottom of the bowl is what everybody hopes for.

How to Make Boatman’s Seafood Stew

◆
Boatman’s Seafood Stew, preparation step 1.
01

Season the Fish

Salt the fish chunks and let them rest, covered, in the refrigerator before cooking.

Boatman’s Seafood Stew, preparation step 2.
02

Cook the Onions

Cook the sliced onions in oil until very soft and lightly golden.

Boatman’s Seafood Stew, preparation step 3.
03

Build the Broth

Simmer the onions with tomato paste, water, white wine, parsley, red pepper, salt, and black pepper until the broth is rich and the onions have softened into it.

04

Cook the Fish

Add the fish gently and simmer without vigorous stirring until the chunks are opaque, tender, and flake easily.

05

Serve Over Bread

Place toasted Italian bread into the bowls, ladle the hot stew over the top, and garnish as desired.

Boatman’s seafood stew with tender white fish, softened onions, parsley, and toasted Italian bread in a rich tomato broth, served in a shallow ceramic bowl.

Boatman’s Seafood Stew

A splash of white wine lifts the tomato broth around tender pieces of fish. Bring thick bread to the table; the rustic sauce deserves every last swipe.

By Betty Lou Gardner

Prep5 minCook50 minTotal1 hr 55 minDifficultyEasy
PrintReview

Ingredients

Scale

Scaling note: Scaling is withheld until recipe-specific quantities, method safety, and instruction synchronization are verified.

Fish Stew

For Serving

Garnish

Instructions

  1. 32 oz fish, ½ tsp salt
  2. ¼ cup oil, 2 onions
  3. 6 oz tomato paste, 3 cups water, ¼ tsp red pepper, 1½ tsp salt, black pepper, 1 cup parsley, ⅓ cup white wine
  4. 32 oz fish
  5. 6 slices Italian bread, parsley, lemon wedges, black pepper

Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)

Yield

about 9 cups — Serving size: About 1½ cups stew with bread

Some ingredients could not be modeled and may meaningfully change the totals. Treat these values as a rough estimate.

Calories
360
Carbohydrates
29.5 g
Protein
33.5 g
Fat
11.5 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
70 mg
Sodium
1150 mg
Fiber
2.5 g
Total Sugars
5.5 g

You May Also Like

Tomato-based Creole fish stew with large pieces of white fish, onions, celery, tomatoes, and herbs served with crusty bread.

Creole Fish Stew

55 minEasy
Cast-iron pot of tomato seafood stew with shell-on clams cooking over glowing coals on a rocky coastal beach.

Rustic Seafood Tomato Stew

40 minEasy
Garlic scallops with parsley and minced garlic in a skillet, served with lemon wedges and crusty bread overlooking a coastal harbor.

Garlic Scallop Sauté

20 minEasy
Creole haddock topped with chunky tomato and green pepper sauce, served over rice with lemon, parsley, and crusty bread.

Creole Haddock

40 minEasy
Bowl of braised beef stew with tender chuck roast, carrots, Yukon Gold potatoes, and parsley in rich brown gravy, served beside crusty bread.

Braised Meat Stew

3 hr 35 minEasy
Chilled raspberry soup in a clear glass serving bowl garnished with strawberries, blueberries, and mint beside summer flowers.

Chilled Summer Berry Soup

5 hrEasy
A plate of Potato Top Stew with tender beef, carrots, celery, and overlapping golden potato slices, with the casserole in the background.

Potato Top Stew

3 hr 25 minEasy
Betty’s shrimp gumbo with chicken, shrimp, firm white fish, crab, tomatoes, and okra served over white rice with crusty French bread.

Betty’s Shrimp Gumbo

2 hr 35 min
Bowl of Hamburger Vegetable Chowder with ground beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and pearl barley, topped with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Hamburger Vegetable Chowder

1 hr 30 minEasy
A bowl of tomato-based kielbasa stew with sliced smoked sausage and vegetables beside an orange Dutch oven.

Kielbasa Stew

1 hr 10 minEasy
Betty’s Green Chile in a patterned shallow bowl topped with shredded cheddar, diced white onion, and cilantro, with warm tortillas nearby.

Betty’s Green Chile

50 minEasy
Creamy spinach cheese soup with egg noodles, paprika, and croutons in a vintage floral soup pot.

Spinach Cheese Soup

40 minEasy
Showing You May Also Like 1 through 4 of 12
Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner’s family recipes are preserved in Granny’s Recipe Box.

Learn More →

What Cooks Are Saying

◆
—

No reviews yet

00
00
00
00
00

Review Boatman’s Seafood Stew

Your review will be held for moderation. Approved reviews display the name you enter below; your email is never published.

Rating
Choose 1 to 5 stars

Loading approved reviews…

A question about this recipe?

Send ingredient, instruction, or correction questions to the recipe inbox.

Email Recipesrecipes@gbbutterclub.com