Ingredients

Soup

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 leeks, white part only finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 small/medium fennel, finely chopped
• 1 medium green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 cans chopped plum tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• pinch saffron, ground
• 375ml white wine
• 1.5 litres fish stock
• 300g each of two varieties of firm fish on or off the bone: monkfish, halibut, swordfish, hake, haddock, cod. Cut into 2-3cm chunks
• 18 large prawns, peel 12 (allow 1 unpeeled per serving)
• 200g small squid, cleaned and sliced into rings, leaving small tentacles whole or slicing large ones into serving size
• 400g mussels, clams or cockles or use a combination
• 4 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• maldon salt (or a similar sea salt flake) and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve

• 1 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 12 slices of baguette (french bread stick), toasted with a little olive oil and rubbed with a garlic clove
• rouille (see recipe)

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan add the onion, fennel and leek, and cook for 3-5 minutes until is soft. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for a further minute.
2. Stir in the paprika, saffron, bay leaves, tomatoes, white wine and fish stock. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and leave it to cook for 20 minutes.
3. Rinse the mussels, scrub them and remove their beards, any that remain open after giving them a sharp tap discard.
4. Add the fish and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the mussels to the soup, along with the remaining seafood and parsley. Leave the soup to cook for around 5 minutes until the mussels have opened. Any mussels/clams/cockles that don't open discard. Season to taste and serve.
6. To Serve: Distribute the soup among 6-8 bowls, sprinkle over a little parsley. Accompany the soup with garlic and olive oil toasted baguette and rouille.