Budget-Friendly & Delicious! How to Make Seafood Stew Easily with the Traders Octopus Seafood Stew Kit
Effortless and Flavorful Octopus Seafood Stew: A Guide to Making it Simple and Delicious with a Meal Kit
Craving a hearty and flavorful seafood stew without the fuss? This weekend, I picked up an Octopus Seafood Stew kit from E-Mart Traders, packed with a generous variety of seafood. On lazy weekends, cooking can feel like a chore, and a convenient meal kit is often the perfect solution. Modern meal kits are surprisingly delicious, and I often find myself reaching for my favorites. The Traders’ seafood stew kit is not only budget-friendly but also comes with a seasoning paste that perfectly complements the seafood, making it a regular purchase for me. Ordering seafood stew at a restaurant can be quite expensive, and buying all the individual ingredients to make it at home can also add up quickly. The Traders’ Octopus Seafood Stew kit offers a balanced mix of various seafood and a delicious spicy seasoning, allowing you to easily prepare a wonderfully tasty stew.
Ingredients- Traders Octopus Seafood Stew Meal Kit (1 pack)
- Water (900ml)
- Thinly sliced radish (small amount)
- Red chili pepper (1)
- Green chili pepper (1)
- Scallion (1/2 stalk)
- Minari or Crown Daisy (small amount)
- Salt (to taste, optional)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
This is the generous Octopus Seafood Stew meal kit from Traders. It’s a fantastic value, and I find myself buying one every time I visit. It’s enough for 3-4 servings, and for the two of us, it was plenty for dinner and even breakfast the next day! For under 20,000 won, it contains a surprisingly wide variety of seafood, especially large octopus tentacles and abalone, making it feel like an even better deal.
Step 2
Inside the kit, you’ll find octopus, abalone, blue crab, shrimp, squid, mussels, scallops, fish roe, and pollack roe.
Step 3
There’s a generous layer of mussels at the bottom, which makes the stew look even more abundant. The mussels contribute a wonderfully refreshing and delicious flavor to the broth.
Step 4
The squid is beautifully scored, making for a very appealing presentation once cooked. It truly resembles a seafood stew you’d order at a restaurant. This would be a great dish to prepare for guests, served as a hearty appetizer with drinks.
Step 5
I’ve portioned some out onto a plate just to show you the quantity. While the individual amounts of each seafood type aren’t huge, the variety is impressive, making it fun to pick and choose. The broth itself is refreshingly savory and packed with umami.
Step 6
The seasoning paste for this refreshing and spicy seafood stew is amazing! I didn’t add any other seasonings, and it was incredibly delicious just as it is. You can add a pinch of salt at the end if you feel it needs more seasoning.
Step 7
Since there are quite a lot of mussels, make sure to use a pot that’s large enough to accommodate them comfortably.
Step 8
The very first step before cooking is thorough cleaning. Unlike other shellfish, mussels, which often attach to rocks, don’t require a separate purging process. However, each mussel has a ‘beard’ (byssus thread) that needs to be removed by pulling it upwards firmly.
Step 9
Use a brush to scrub the mussel shells and remove any dirt or debris. This ensures a clean and pleasant eating experience.
Step 10
As you can see, scallop shells can often be quite dirty. Since they are cooked in their shells, it’s important to wash them thoroughly to ensure cleanliness.
Step 11
Scrubbing the scallop shells vigorously with a brush will make them look pristine and clean, like in the picture. The difference before and after is quite remarkable.
Step 12
Preparing abalone requires a bit more effort. Since we’re cooking it with the shell on, we won’t separate it with a spoon, but we’ll wash it meticulously. Scrub the abalone shell and the meat inside clean with a brush. Then, use scissors to cut a ‘V’ shape at the mouth area to remove the ‘teeth’.
Step 13
Here’s the abalone after being scrubbed clean. I find that abalone changes dramatically in appearance after thorough cleaning. I always make sure to clean it very carefully.
Step 14
Gently rinse the fish roe and pollack roe under running water and then drain them.
Step 15
Prepare the vegetables to be added. Slice the radish thinly for a clear broth. Also, prepare some minari to add at the end for freshness. Slice half a scallion stalk diagonally, and slice one red and one green chili pepper diagonally as well. You can substitute crown daisy for minari, and if you prefer less heat, you can omit the green chili peppers.
Step 16
Here are all the seafood ingredients, cleaned and ready to go! While cooking is quick, the cleaning process does take a bit of time.
Step 17
Now, let’s start cooking according to the instructions. Pour 900ml of water into a spacious pot. Remember, a large pot is essential considering the amount of seafood and vegetables.
Step 18
Add a bit of radish to make the broth refreshing. Add the thinly sliced radish for a cleaner, crisper taste.
Step 19
Add all the cleaned mussels to the pot. The refreshing flavor from the mussels will enhance the overall taste of the seafood stew.
Step 20
Next, squeeze in the special seafood stew seasoning paste that comes with the kit. Dissolve the paste well in the water to create the broth base.
Step 21
Bring the pot to a rolling boil over high heat for about 3-4 minutes. The ingredients will start to cook quickly.
Step 22
Once boiling, add all the seafood except the octopus (blue crab, shrimp, squid, scallops, roe, etc.). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the seafood, as it can become tough.
Step 23
As the water boils, foam will start to rise to the surface. Skim off this foam with a ladle to ensure a clear and clean-tasting broth. Although it takes a little extra effort, this step greatly improves the final flavor.
Step 24
Octopus can become very tough if cooked for too long. In the final step, add the octopus, bring the heat back up to high, and simmer for only about 1 minute. This ensures tender octopus and a perfectly finished seafood stew.
Step 25
Add the sliced scallions and chili peppers, and simmer for another moment to finish. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed. You can also add other ingredients like bean sprouts, crown daisy, or minari according to your preference. And there you have it – a delicious seafood stew, easily made at home!
