| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 small)
- 2 cups large-diced small white potatoes
- 2 cups chopped fennel (1 large bulb)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups good white wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1 quart Seafood Stock, recipe follows, or store-bought fish stock
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (reserve the shells for the stock)
- 1 pound each halibut and bass fillets, cut in large chunks
- 24 mussels, cleaned
- 3 tablespoons Pernod
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- Toasted baguette slices, buttered and rubbed with garlic
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- Shells from 1 pound large shrimp
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
- 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 quarts water
- 1/2 cup good white wine
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot, add the onions, potatoes, fennel, salt, and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock, garlic, and saffron to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the shrimp, fish, and mussels, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes. The fish and shrimp should be cooked and the mussels opened. Discard any mussels that don’t open. Stir in the Pernod, orange zest, and salt, to taste. Serve ladled over 1 or 2 slices of toasted baguette.;
- Warm the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1¿2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. If not, you can make up the difference with water or white wine.
Reviews
I want to make this stew for a dinner party and wonder if anyone who has made it can tell me how long it could sit on warm to accommodate a pre-meal cocktail hour? Or should I excuse myself to throw in the shellfish about 15 minutes before serving?
This is a truly special meal! A favorite with picky seafood lovers 🙂
Her book Make it Ahead has different measurements for the same soup and no potatoes . And I was reading one of the magazine where her husband was interviewed and he said I like everything she cooks, but one time she was not able to cook one particular soup well, it tested off. and $150 worth seafood was wasted. After that she has mastered the recipe but since both the recipe has come from her, with different measurements , which one to use?
Absolutely delicious. I substituted cod for bass, and added calamari which I had on hand.
This was absolutely amazing – followed the recipe exactly and everyone loved it! It is now a staple in our home! Thanks Ina – as usual you rock!
OMG! So good! I did not use pernod, saffron, or orange zest. My husband fishes so i used swordfish, cod, and lobster because that’s what i had in the house. Also i couldn’t find mussels so i used clams. I think i could sell this it was so good!!!!!
Love this stew! I have served it for dinner party of 8 and as a lesson will share that if you add extra seafood it dilutes the base watered down. The flavor is still good but the rich base is gone. I suggest following the meat measurements or adjust the base ingredients.
This was *amazing*! Your recipe was so easy to follow and the whole thing turned out perfectly… the broth was especially lovely. I made a few modifications – made the first batch shrimp and mussels only. My family loved this meal, this recipe will definitely be a go-to. Thank you!
This was spectacular! The flavors are perfect. I followed recipe and everyone loved. Making the broth from scratch added another layer of depth….well worth it. INA does it again!
This is so delicious and very easy to make!