Orzo Recipes | Orzo and Seafood Stew
This orzo and seafood stew is a hearty deliciously rich stew that works all year round. You could add chorizo, Greek sausage or even smoked lardons for some extra umph! This particular orzo and seafood stew I’ve kept as fish only.
Orzo recipe – orzo is a small shaped pasta, sometimes confused with a type of rice (it isn’t!), orzo recipes are common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East and now available in most supermarkets.
Orzo and Seafood Stew Recipe – | Orzo recipe – ingredients
Serves 4
500g cod or hake fillets
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 heaped cup/250ml orzo
1 cup white/rose wine
1/250ml cup passata
2/500ml cups stock (vegetable, fish or chicken)
1 tbsp pimenton or smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 inch stick cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper or chipotle flakes
Handful kalamata olives (pitted/stoned)
1 tsp honey
Fresh parsley or dill for garnish
Splash olive oil
Orzo and Seafood Stew Recipe – Method
Fry the onion in olive oil for five minutes until softened then add the garlic. Cook for a minute before adding the orzo to the pan and fry for another minute then add the paprika/pimenton and cinnamon (stick and ground) very quickly followed by the wine.
Stir this around and let the wine reduce till virtually gone, then pour in the passata, stock and honey. The orzo will be swimming around in this which is good. Leave this on a low simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the orzo sticking and topping up with more liquid if it starts to dry out.
Test the orzo and once it is tender (so no crunch to it) place the fish fillets into the pan, pushing them down so almost submerged but the tops remaining white. Dot the olives all over.
Again, top with more stock if needed then cover with a lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for another 8-10 minutes until the fish is just cooked through then remove from the heat and take off the heat to rest for five minutes.
Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
Seafood and Orzo Stew | Orzo recipe
Seafood and Orzo Stew | Orzo Recipe - a delicious rich seafood and orzo recipe with olives and hake or cod.

Ingredients
- 500g cod or hake fillets
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 heaped cup/250ml orzo
- 1 cup white/rose wine
- 1/250ml cup passata
- 2/500ml cups stock (vegetable, fish or chicken)
- 1 tbsp pimenton or smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 inch stick cinnamon
- Pinch cayenne pepper or chipotle flakes
- Handful kalamata olives (pitted/stoned)
- 1 tsp honey
- Fresh parsley or dill for garnish
- Splash olive oil
Directions
- Step 1 Fry the onion in olive oil for five minutes until softened then add the garlic. Cook for a minute before adding the orzo to the pan and fry for another minute then add the paprika/pimenton and cinnamon (stick and ground) very quickly followed by the wine.
- Step 2 Stir this around and let the wine reduce till virtually gone, then pour in the passata, stock and honey. The orzo will be swimming around in this which is good. Leave this on a low simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the orzo sticking and topping up with more liquid if it starts to dry out.
- Step 3 Test the orzo and once it is tender (so no crunch to it) place the fish fillets into the pan, pushing them down so almost submerged but the tops remaining white. Dot the olives all over.
- Step 4 Again, top with more stock if needed then cover with a lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for another 8-10 minutes until the fish is just cooked through then remove from the heat and take off the heat to rest for five minutes.
- Step 5 Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.