Avgolemono is a classic Greek sauce made with eggs, lemon, and a warm broth. It’s incredibly tangy and silky. The dish is often made with rice and chicken, but this bright sauce works extremely well with seafood. My version features clams, snapper, and shrimp; but squid, mussels, and cockles would work just as well. The bright and briny broth is balanced with sweet anise flavor of fennel and onion. Save the fennel fronds as they make an excellent garnish adding a bright freshness.
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What you’ll need
Vitamix Blender
$380 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$100 $80 At Amazon
Heatproof Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Blend 3 large egg yolks, 1 large egg, and ½ cup fresh lemon juice in a blender until smooth.
Step 2
Heat 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Cook 1 medium fennel bulb, quartered, cored, thinly sliced, 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, and 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped, stirring often, until fennel is softened and onion is translucent, 6–8 minutes. Add 1 lb. small clams (such as littleneck or Manila; about 12), scrubbed, 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is just starting to turn opaque, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Step 3
Measure out ¾ cup broth in a heatproof measuring glass. With blender on low speed, slowly pour broth into egg mixture and blend to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly pour egg mixture into pot. Arrange 1 lb. flaky white fish fillets (such as cod, halibut, or snapper), cut into 4" pieces, in pot, overlapping if needed, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add ¼ cup heavy cream and 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fish is opaque throughout and clams have opened, about 4 minutes; discard any clams that haven’t opened. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley and/or dill. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Step 4
Ladle stew into shallow bowls; top with fennel fronds and parsley leaves and/or dill sprigs. Serve with lemon wedges.
