The Neapolitan Seafood Stew That Would Have Been Extravagant Enough for Nero

Name: The Neapolitan Seafood Stew That Would Have Been Extravagant Enough for Nero
Cook time: 30 minutes
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: For the stew 1 large sweet onion; diced 3 celery stalks with leaves; diced ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic; minced ½ teaspoon ground cumin seed ½ teaspoon ground coriander seed 1 cup dry white wine 2 dozen littleneck clams; in shells; scrubbed 2 pounds mussels; in shells; scrubbed and debearded 8 ounces small shrimp; peeled and de-veined 8 ounces sea scallops ¾ cup fresh parsley; minced Salt and pepper; to taste; For the pesto ¼ cup whole almonds; blanched ¼ cup green Sicilian olives; pitted 2 tablespoons small capers; drained and rinsed Baguette; for serving

Primo

Francine Segan | Fri, 05/31/2024 - 05:35

Mussels are a key ingredient in this decadent seafood stew / Photo: RFondren Photography via Shutterstock

Difficulty Level

Low

Cooking Time

30 minutes

Cost

Medium

This recipe originated in an ancient Roman cookbook and was first named after the era’s fashionable seaside resort town, Baiae, near the bay of Naples. The resort area was prized for its volcanic hot springs, so many wealthy ancient Romans owned homes there, including Nero, the first century emperor whose extravagances were legendary. He once spent the equivalent of $100,000 on Egyptian roses for one banquet feast. According to Suetonius, the first century biographer, Nero built