Best Seafood And Saffron Tomato And Fennel Soup Recipes

CIOPPINO (SEAFOOD SOUP) WITH FENNEL AND GARLIC

Steps:

• In a large, heavy saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped fennel, onion, shallots, and garlic and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Stir in the wine, then the tomatoes, parsley, red pepper flakes, clam juice, and water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the butter and stir to melt, then remove from heat.
• In a large cast iron skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and toss on the mussels and clams. Cook for 4 minutes. As the mussels and clams begin to open, add the fish, calamari, and shrimp, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink. Discard any mussels or clams that don't open. Add 1 cup of the tomato mixture and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the saucepan with the remaining tomato mixture and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with the basil, garnish with the fennel fronds, and serve immediately.

SEAFOOD IN SAFFRON BROTH

Steps:

• Trim fennel stalks flush with bulb, discarding stalks. Finely chop fennel and onion. Seed tomato and finely chop. Mince garlic. Scrub mussels well and remove beards. Shell shrimp and devein. Cut scrod into 1-inch pieces. Stir saffron into wine.
• In a 4-quart kettle cook fennel and onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine mixture and simmer until reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 3 minutes. Add mussels with 1/2 cup stock and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until most mussels are opened, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp, scrod, tomato, and remaining 2 1/2 cups stock and cook at a bare simmer until fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.) Season mixture with salt and pepper.
• Divide seafood between 2 bowls and ladle broth over it. Garnish seafood with lemon wedges and serve with bread.

TOMATO-SAFFRON FISH STEW

Steps:

• Slice a piece of orange peel about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and the length of one side of an orange. Briefly whirl tomatoes and juice in a food processor or blender, just until broken up, but not puréed.
• In a large saucepan or soup pot, stir tomatoes with 4 cups (1 L) water, bay leaf, peel strip and saffron. Place over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, thyme, fennel, salt, celery salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop flavor.
• In a measuring cup, stir flour with 1/3 cup (75 mL) cold water until no lumps remain. After tomato mixture has simmered 15 minutes, slowly add to flour and water mixture while stirring constantly. Continue simmering, uncovered and stirring often, until mixture has thickened and no taste of flour remains, from 10 to 15 minutes.
• Taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed. Broth will have a very strong taste, which mellows when seafood is added. If making ahead, remove from heat at this point and refrigerate. Covered, broth will keep well for 3 days.
• Meanwhile, removing any bones or shells (but not from mussels or clams), cut fish or seafood into bite-size chunks.
• When ready to serve, remove bay leaf and orange peel from broth. If using clams, stir into hot stew and simmer 10 minutes before adding remaining fish and seafood. Stir fish, seafood, including any mussels and parsley, into simmering stew.
• Simmer, covered and stirring often, until clam or mussel shells have opened, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with more chopped fresh parsley. Serve with a crisp baguette or sourdough bread to dip into the broth.