Tomato and Saffron Fish Stew

Ingredients

• 400 g firm white fish, in large chunks
• 500 g mussels, scrubbed
• 200 g raw prawns, shells kept
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• a good pinch of saffron
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 500 ml fish stock
• a strip of orange zest
• a handful of parsley

Method

1. Use the prawn shells

   Fry the shells in a dry pan until orange and fragrant, add them to the stock and simmer 10 minutes, then strain. Free flavour that most people throw away.

   10 min

2. Sweat fennel and onion

   Cook the fennel, onion and garlic in the oil over a low heat until completely soft without browning. Colour here would fight the delicacy of the fish.

   15 min

3. Saffron and wine

   Crumble in the saffron, add the wine and reduce by half. Saffron needs liquid and time to bleed properly; thrown in at the end it just sits there.

   5 min

4. Build the broth

   Add the tomatoes, prawn stock and orange zest and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season now — once the fish is in you cannot stir it about.

   15 min

5. Seafood by cooking time

   Add the mussels first, then after two minutes the fish, then the prawns. Cover and cook until the mussels open and the fish just flakes, about 5 minutes total. Discard any mussels that stay shut.

   5 min

6. Serve straight away

   Scatter with parsley and serve with bread. This does not reheat — the fish overcooks the second time round.