For those of you who enjoy really great stews, you should try this "Seafood Stew Recipe" that we have been cooking for years. It is sure to impress even the most finicky of eaters and it is absolutely delicious. We have substitued everything from catfish to alligator for this recipe so feel free to add ingredients that you know you and your guests would enjoy.

Name: Seafood Stew
Ingredients:
2 lb of medium shrimp
1 pint of lump crab meat
10-15 large scallops
1 pint of shucked oysters in its own liquor
Two medium yellow onions
1 bunch of green onions
1 medium green, yellow, red, or orange bell pepper
2 stalks of celery
1 bay leaf
1 bunch of parsley (1/2 cup roughly chopped) or 1 rounded teaspoon of dried parsley
4 cloves of garlic
1 Jalapeno pepper deseeded and deveined chopped
2 cans of Condensed Cream of Shrimp Soup
2 tablespoons of Dark Roux
2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 8-12 oz jar of clam juice (This can be found either in the canned meat section of the store and/or occasionally in the drink mix section)

1. Dice the onions, bell pepper, celery, half of the green onions (save upper half for garnish), garlic, and parsley and set aside.
2. In a large cast iron pot, bring up the heat to medium (6-7 on some stoves).
3. Add the butter and bayleaf and melt until slightly sizzling.
4. Add the chopped vegetables and stir for 10-15 minutes or until the onions are clear.
5. Add the two cans of Cream of Shrimp plus two cans of water and reduce heat to medium low (4-5).
6. In a seperate pot, bring the clam juice to a boil and add the Dark Roux stirring occasionally until dissolved thoroughly.
7. Add the clam stock to the stew pot and stir.
8. Add the lump crab meat and scallops and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the desired consistancy is reached.
9. Add the shrimp and cook for additional 10 minutes.
10. Add the oysters plus their liquor and cook for 5 minutes.

Garnish with the remaining half of chopped green onions, more chopped parsley, and the jalapeno pepper.

Serve over rice. This will serve 10-12 people and is great for games, holidays, etc.