This traditional San Francisco recipe for seafood stew in tomato broth gets an update with fennel, saffron, a glug of wine, and plenty of olive oil, and it makes enough to feed a crowd.
1large fennel bulb, fronds removed and reserved for garnish, bulb thinly sliced
3large cloves garlic
1teaspoonfine sea salt
1can diced tomatoes(28-ounce)
1can diced tomatoes(14-ounce)
2cupsdry white wine(such as Sauvignon Blanc)
broth from cooking the clams and mussels (see below)
2cupsvegetable stock
1bay leaf
1/2poundcooked, peeled shrimp(225 grams)
1poundwhite fish (such as Tilapia), cut into 1-inch chunks(450 grams)
a handful of parsley leaves and fennel fronds
cracked black pepper
lemon wedges
Instructions
Place the clams and mussels in a steamer basket set in a pot over 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a simmer, steaming the mollusks until they open. Remove the mollusks and strain and reserve the broth.
In a large soup pot, heat the oil and saffron over a medium flame until the oil shimmers, then add the thyme, onion, and fennel. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender, 10 minutes, then stir in the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and add the salt, tomatoes, white wine, mollusk steaming water, vegetable stock, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
Add the fish and continue to simmer until cooked through, 3-5 minutes. Add the shrimp, mussels, and clams and cook to heat them through. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if you feel the soup needs it.
Ladle the soup into wide bowls and top with a good drizzle of olive oil, a shower of parsley leaves and fennel fronds, a few turns of black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.
Leftover soup keeps well, refrigerated airtight, for up to 2 days.
Notes
Adapted from Simply Recipes.Feel free to mix up the seafood here. We liked this combination, but you could also use lobster, crab, or other fish such as halibut or cod.Be sure to serve this with a bottle of wine and some crusty bread for mopping up the broth. Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.