This is a comfort dish for the feast of the seven fishes. Clams, mussels, and lobsters were abundant and his desire for fresh seafood seemed endless. Often a recipe we served at both restaurants, this is the classic of flavors and seasoning.
Whether you serve 5-7 course or just sit down with a mug of this classic fisherman’s stew from Gloucester, MA. It was a favorite at my restaurants on cold winter days.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb ; thinly sliced & diced
1 Onion, chopped
3 large shallots chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 large garlic cloves ; finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes in juice ; (with Italian seasonings)
1 1/2 cups Dry white wine
5 cups fish stock
1 Bay Leaf
1 pound clams, scrubbed
1/2 pound mussels; scrubbed, debearded
1 pound uncooked large shrimp ; peeled and deveined
1 1/2 assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets; cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pound bay scallops
2 cups cubed red potatoes, washed skin on
Directions
- Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt sauté until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add red potatoes 20 minutes before finishing. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
- Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, scallops and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Remove bay leaf.
- Season the soup, to taste, with more salt, fresh ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with garlic bread.
