Name: Shrimp and Sausage Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large fennel bulb (, trimmed and chopped (about 2 cups in 1/2-inch pieces)); 4 cloves garlic (, rough chopped); 2 small shallots (, minced); 12 ounces bulk hot Italian sausage; 1 1/2 cups dry white wine; 1/4 cup tomato paste; 2 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 bay leaf; 1 pound large shrimp ((21-30/pound), peeled and deveined); 2 cups white beans (, rinsed and drained); 1/2 cup fresh basil (, chopped); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves; kosher salt and black pepper to taste

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Last Updated on April 21, 2025

Shrimp and Italian Sausage Stew recipe is one of my favorites. When I want to impress someone with a ‘SPECIAL DINNER, I usually make this dish or I make my Creamy Tomato Bisque. THE BEST homemade soups and stews are the ones that knock your socks off with flavor. That’s why you make them, right? They scream, HELLO YUMMY!

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Making Shrimp And Sausage Stew

This Special, Gourmet-Style dinner will only take about 40 minutes to make, start to finish. The ingredients are common except for the fennel bulb and possibly the hot Italian sausage. And it’s these two items that help to bring all the delicious flavors together.

Ingredients Needed To Make This Dish

For the complex flavors of this stew, quite a few ingredients are required. The primary ones are: large shrimp, fennel bulb, garlic, shallots, hot Italian sausage, dry white wine, chicken broth, canned white beans, and fresh herbs. A complete listing is in the printable recipe card.

Fennel bulb is like celery on steroids. It has the same texture as celery but imparts a sweet, anise flavor that really brightens up the taste. It might be hard to find in certain places but Whole Foods, larger Supermarkets, and farmer’s markets should have some.

In a pinch, you could substitute 2 stalks of celery for the fennel, then add 1 teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds. Add the fennel seeds to the sauté pan along with the celery and reduce the softening time to 5 or 6 minutes.

Hot Italian sausage should be available in most places. If not, you can add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to mild Italian sausage. The key is to have a slight spiciness to the meat and that gives the dish an extra punch.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Start with a large pot with at least a 3-quart capacity. Put it on your stove on medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped fennel, and shallots and cook for about 10 minutes while occasionally stirring.

Then, add the Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sausage is browned. This should take about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic cloves and cook for another minute so that the garlic becomes fragrant.

Add the wine and use the wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Then stir in the tomato paste, beans, chicken broth, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat on the stove, cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

Uncover the pot and add the shrimp, basil, and thyme and cook for 3 or 4 minutes until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.

Remove the bay leaf and then give the stew a taste. Add salt and black pepper as desired.

Shrimp and sausage soup

Additional Tips To Make This Tasty Stew

Use large shrimp, like 25 shrimp per pound size. You may find frozen, tail-on, peeled, and Deveined Shrimp. Just thaw and remove the tail. If your shrimp is in the Shell, peel off the shell and tail. Then use a small sharp knife to cut into the back of the shrimp, (about ¼” deep), and remove any dark strands. I usually do this over some cold running water.
This recipe calls for fresh herbs; basil and thyme. For the perfect flavor, Fresh Herbs are a must.
When you add the shrimp to the stew at the very end, in 3 to 4 minutes they will be cooked through. Any longer and the shrimp will start to get rubbery. Serve the stew right away.

Seafood and sausage stew

Serving the Shrimp and Sausage Stew

Have some good, Crusty Bread with the stew so you can soak up all the flavor from the broth.

Soup with shrimp and sausage

A cold, crisp wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio pairs nicely. Ice water with some lemon is a good choice too.

The next time you want a special dinner for family or friends, make some Shrimp and Italian Sausage Stew. You will think that you’re in a High-Dollar Restaurant…but you made it yourself.

Be sure to check out these tasty Shrimp recipes:

Shrimp and Sausage Stew

This is the best tasting stew having tons of flavors complementing each other and it is so easy to make.

4.45 from 25 votes

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Course: Seafood, Soup, Stew

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: seafood and sausage stew, shrimp and sausage stew recipe, stew

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Joe Boyle

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large fennel bulb , trimmed and chopped (about 2 cups in 1/2-inch pieces)
4 cloves garlic , rough chopped
2 small shallots , minced
12 ounces bulk hot Italian sausage
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 pound large shrimp (21-30/pound), peeled and deveined
2 cups white beans , rinsed and drained
1/2 cup fresh basil , chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy pan.
Add the fennel and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the sausage and break it up with the spoon. Cook until the sausage is brown, about 5 minutes. Then, add the chopped garlic and allow it to become fragrant usually 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add the wine and use the wooden spoon to get up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the tomato paste, beans, chicken broth, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Uncover the pan and add the shrimp, basil, and thyme. Simmer, uncovered, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve with a hearty bread.

Notes

2 stalks of celery can be substituted for the fennel. Just add 1 teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds to the pan when you start to soften the onion and celery. Reduce the softening time to 5 or 6 minutes.
Mild Italian sausage can be used, but add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for the heat which makes this taste so good.
Recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

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