Try this unique twist to our beloved peanut stew, the Seafood Kare Kare!
Kare-kare is one of the many staple dishes that you see in almost every Filipino restaurant you encounter. You can even see it in the local carinderias every now and then.
While it is such a common sight to see, the kare kare where seafood is partnered as the main ingredient for this dish is quite unusual. So here we decided to share this recipe of the Seafood Kare kare!
Read on so you can learn how to make this delicious seafood dish for your family and loved ones.
What is Seafood Kare Kare?
Kare Kare is a classic slow-cooked Filipino stew known for its thick and flavorful yellow peanut sauce paired with a number of vegetables.
It is traditionally based on the use of oxtail or ox tripe, or even the use of both. This is the original version of the kare kare, but for this variation of the dish, we will use seafood as the main ingredient.
This recipe includes the use of fish fillet, shrimp, squid, crabs, and mussels. It is paired with vegetables and the signature peanut sauce.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Seafoods
You have a variety of options on what see food you like to put into this dish. I suggest you try shrimps, crabs, mussels, squid, and fish. For the fish you can try cream dory or mahi-mahi.
Vegetables
For the vegetables, you will need eggplant, bok choy, and string beans. You may opt to add more or remove vegetables from this list.
Peanut Butter
You can use store-bought peanut butter or make your own. I suggest that you go for the less sweet variants when picking one.
Bagoong Alamang
You can also use store-bought shrimp paste or make your own. There are a variety of flavors when it comes to this condiment, so fill free to pick your preferred one.
Aside from these, we will also be using other regular pantry ingredients like onion, garlic, annatto powder, fish sauce, salt, black pepper, and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cooking Pot/ Kaldero- For this recipe, you will be needing a deep cooking pot that would be used for boiling the seafood and cooking the dish. It could be any size as long as it can fit about 4 cups of water.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Cook Seafood Kare Kare
Just looking at the ingredients for this recipe can be a bit overwhelming. But don’t worry, we are going to do this step by step. First thing we need to keep in mind are the seafood. Start by steaming the crabs and the fish fillet first.
In this recipe, we are going to use cream dory fillet, but other types of fishes such as boneless bangus (milkfish) can also be used.
The next step is to boil the mussels. Pour in a generous amount of water in a large cooking pot and then proceed to add in the mussels. Just boil them until they are cooked.
A good indicator that they are cooked is when the shells are already open. To ensure a good tasting kare kare, you can choose to reserve the broth from boiling the mussels to be used for later.
After that, we can already pan fry the remaining seafood, such as the shrimp and the squid. Just cook them, making sure that all sides are well-fried, for about two to three minutes.
You can also add in the steamed seafood—the crabs and the fish fillet.
You have the option to set them aside first to avoid overcooking. The next thing to do is to saute the onions and garlic. After they are softened and are quite aromatic, you can move on to making the peanut butter sauce.
Add this along with the fish sauce and the reserved broth that you have from boiling the mussels earlier. If you choose not to use it, water can also be used.
One trick to making the sauce thicker is to add crushed peanuts into the mix, but this is only optional.
For the preparation of the vegetables, you can add them along with the sauce, as instructed in the recipe, but you can also choose to blanch them separately first, if you want to make sure that the vegetables won’t be overcooked. Just blanch them for about a minute each.
Once you have a thick enough sauce, you can add all the ingredients all together in one nice serving bowl, to be served with the shrimp paste.
How to Serve Seafood Kare Kare
Seafood kare kare is a hefty dish that already contains seafood and vegetables. You can simple served this with freshly cooked white rice and you’re good to go. This dish is usually served with bagoong alamang, a fermented shrimp condiment that adds a savory flavor to the kare kare. You may mix a small amount of bagoong according to taste.
How to Store and Reheat Seafood Kare Kare
In case you have leftovers, store your kare kare in a clean covered food container. Place in a refrigerator and this could prolong its shelf life for up to 3 days.
To reheat, you can either use a microwave oven or place in a cooking pan and heat over low fire until warm.
Other Seafood Recipe
- Kinunot Na Pagi (Flaked Stingray in Coconut Cream) Recipe
- Adobong Pusit (Squid Adobo) Recipe
- Filipino Style Paella Recipe
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Seafood Kare Kare Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pot
Ingredients
- 4 pcs shrimps, cleaned and peeled
- 2 pcs crab, steamed
- 3 pcs medium-sized squid, cut into serving sizes
- 10 pcs mussels, cleaned
- 1 pc cream dory fillet (you can also use mahi-mahi), steamed and cut into serving sizes
- 1 pc onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pc eggplant, cut diagonally
- 1 bunch bok choy
- 1 bunch string beans, cut into serving sizes
- 1 tsp annatto powder
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- ½ cup shrimp paste (bagoong alamang)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 cups water
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a cooking pot, pour-in water and bring to a boil.
- Add in the mussels. Let boil until cooked. Set aside, reserving the broth.
- In a cooking pan, pour in and heat cooking oil over medium heat.
- Add in the annatto powder and stir.
- Add in the garlic and onions then saute until soft and fragrant.
- Add in the shrimp, squid, steamed cream dory, and crabs.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, making sure that all sides are well-cooked.
- Add in the fish sauce, reserved broth, and peanut butter. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in the bok choy, string beans, and eggplant. Cook until the vegetables are half-done.
- Add in back the mussels. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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