Seafood and Fennel Stew
December 21, 2009 | Comments Off
Brooklyn got 8 inches of snow last night and weather like that calls for an evening of stew and comfort. This is a take on the classic French seafood stew, but includes bacon and potatoes. They make for delicious additions. This was served with garlic toast, slathered with a mix of butter, olive oil, garlic, chili pepper flakes, and salt.
- Seafood and Fennel Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 6 bacon slices, chopped
- 1/2 cup finely diced shallots, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup thinly sliced fennel
- 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon crushed fennel seeds
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 1/2 cups canned chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
- 2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced peeled tomatoes
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Zest from 1/2 orange
- 1 1-pound cod fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces wild salmon fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces large shrimp
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Set mushrooms aside.
Cook bacon in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat until almost crisp, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add saffron to chicken broth and let sit. Add onion, fennel, bell pepper, fennel seeds and garlic; sauté until vegetables are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, chicken broth, tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, zest and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 25 minutes. Mix in mushrooms. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring soup to simmer before continuing.)
Add salmon, cod and shrimp to soup and simmer just until fish is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley.
I've recently moved my life from Brooklyn, New York to Sonoma County, California to pursue a life in food and wine. I am now the executive chef at