Tuscan Tomato-Fennel Seafood Stew

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A coastal Tuscan-style seafood stew where fennel, garlic and chili simmer down into a deep tomato broth, then cod, shrimp and mussels poach right in the pot. Finished with lemon zest, basil and a slick of good olive oil — no bread, no butter, no dairy, and it still tastes like a two-hour Sunday sauce in under an hour.

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced (fronds reserved)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 2 cups seafood stock or bottled clam juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 lb skinless cod or halibut fillet, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded

• 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wide 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel and onion with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly golden at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, pressing it against the bottom of the pot, until it darkens to a brick red, 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the white wine, scrape up anything stuck to the pot, and simmer briskly until the liquid has reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add the hand-crushed tomatoes with their juices, the seafood stock, bay leaf, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady low simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, until the broth tastes rounded and slightly thickened. Discard the bay leaf and taste for salt.
5. Nestle the cod chunks into the broth in a single layer, cover, and simmer gently for 3 minutes — the liquid should barely bubble so the fish stays intact.
6. Scatter the shrimp and mussels over the top, cover again, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until the mussels have opened and the shrimp are opaque and curled. Discard any mussels that stay shut.
7. Turn off the heat. Drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, then scatter with the lemon zest, basil, parsley and a handful of the reserved chopped fennel fronds. Ladle into wide bowls, spooning broth over everything, and serve with lemon wedges.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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