If you're looking for an authentic French dish to impress your guests with at your next dinner party, then try this delicious fish stew that's bursting with flavour. It is fabulous no matter what the weather, just make sure to use the fish and produce that is currently in season.
1) Bring a saucepan of water to boil.Prepare a colander in the sink. Blanche the tomatoes and red pepper in a saucepanfor 30 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and cool under a cold running tap.The skins should now peel off easily. Ifthey don’t, blanche for a further 30 seconds. Remove the seeds and cores anddiscard these. Dice the flesh and save the juice.
2) Peel and roughly dice the potato.Place in a pan on the stove, add cold water until the potato is submerged, adda good pinch of salt and boil until soft, for aprox. 20 mins.
3) Make the broth. Place a large,lidded pan on the stove and add the fennel seeds. Toast on a medium heat for 1min, being careful not to burn them (they will taste very bitter).
4) Turn down the heat and add a glug ofolive oil, the diced onion, celery, fennel and dried thyme. Add a splash ofwater, stir, and leave to soften for 10 mins. If necessary, stir and/or turndown the heat to stop anything browning or sticking to the pan.
5) Add 2 cloves of crushed garlic,stir, and cook for another 2 mins.
6) Add the red pepper, tomato, olives, saffronand bay leaf. Turn up the heat, stirring for 2 mins. Add some more water if themixture is dry.
7) Add 100ml white wine. Let it bubbleand reduce for a 2mins before adding the fish stock. Bring to a gentle simmer.
8) While the fish broth is simmeringaway, make your rouille. Your potato should by now be cooked through and soft. Tocheck this, poke it with a fork. Drain the water away and place the potato in amixing bowl. Add the egg yolk, remaining crushed garlic and diced chilli. Whileit is still hot, stir vigorously for 1 min while the egg cooks and binds themixture. Now slowly mix and mash in enough olive oil to create a thickMayonnaise-like consistency.
9) Add a spoonful of rouille to thebroth, whisking it in so that the broth thickens. Add some of the freshlychopped parsley. Taste the broth to check if it needs more rouille, salt andpepper.
10) Lower the heat and add the fish and shellfishto the broth. Place the lid on the pan and let it gently steam cook for 5-10mins,taking care not to overcook the fish.
11) Serveimmediately into large, shallow bowls and garnish with extra parsley and lemonslices. Enjoy with fresh French bread and a dry white wine.
100g cod or similar white fish,skin removed, cut into two pieces/chunks
4 Tiger prawns or langoustine
A handful of Mussels, scrubbed,barnacles removed
½ white onion, finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
½ fennel, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried, chopped thyme
4 tomatoes (large, ripe beef tomatoes if you can find them)
1 red pepper
50g black olives, roughly chopped
1tsp saffron
1 bay leaf
100ml dry white wine (Chardonnay is perfect. Choose a wine you like to drink so that you can enjoy a glass later with your meal)
olive oil
small bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped, with extra to serve
salt, pepper
500ml fish stock
1 medium sized potato
¼ red chilli, finely diced (add more if you like chilli)
1 egg yolk
1 lemon, sliced
1 small loaf French baguette
