Californian fish stew
This fragrant fish stew is popular all over California and the Bay Area.
Ingredients
- 1kg/2lb 4oz clams, scrubbed and debearded, broken clams discarded
- 1 small/medium cooked crab
- 200ml/7fl oz white wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch saffron
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú cod, lightly salted for 30 minutes before cooking
- 8 large tiger prawns, shell and tail removed and reserved, heads left on
- 1–2 tsp ‘nduja
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Method
To make the fish stew, heat a large saucepan over a medium heat, and add the clams, crab and prawn shells. When the pan is hot, add the wine and quickly cover the pan with a lid. Cook the seafood for 2–3 minutes, or until the clams have opened. Discard any clams that are still closed. Strain the juices from the pan and reserve. Set aside the crab and pick the clam meat from the shells. Discard the shells along with the prawn shells.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole and sweat the onion, garlic and fennel until browned. Add the tomato purée, cook for a few minutes and then add the clam stock, fennel seeds, bay leaves, saffron and cayenne pepper. Add the cod and prawns and simmer gently for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the 'nduja paste, clams and crab and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a sauté pan and olive oil to the pan. Once hot, add the sourdough pieces and fry until golden brown and crisp all over. Mix together the garlic, lemon zest and parsley in a separate bowl.
Ladle the fish stew into serving bowls and dress the top with the sourdough croutons and a sprinkle of the garlic, lemon zest and parsley.
