Maine Shrimp and Scallop Stew

• Recipe by Linda Greenlaw and Martha Greenlaw

A waitress for 16 years at the Fisherman's Friend Restaurant in Stonington, Maine, Diana Santospago (now the innkeeper at the Inn at Isle au Haut) spent night after night watching customers devour the restaurant's excellent seafood stew. Finally, she decided to create her own version. Diana poaches superfresh seafood in sweet butter, then steeps it in cream, recalling oyster stew.

Ingredients

1. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
3. Freshly ground pepper
4. 1 pound sea scallops, halved horizontally
5. 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
6. 1 quart light cream
7. Salt

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the paprika and a pinch of pepper. Add the scallops and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cream and heat until steaming; do not boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the stew stand for 2 hours.
2. Reheat the stew over low heat; do not boil. Season with salt and pepper and serve in bowls.

Make Ahead

The stew can be refrigerated overnight and gently reheated.