Fish Stew With Fennel

Photo: flickr user Girl Interrupted Eating

Ingredients

2 pounds scraps, bones and heads from non-fatty fish, such as rockf

1 lrg fennel bulb, including green leaves

1 pound tomatoes, divided

1 leek

1 rib celery plus a few leaves

1 bay leaf

Handful of parsley

2 teaspoons x or 3 sprigs thyme (or ½ dried thyme leaves)

2 clv garlic, lightly crushed

1 lemon, sliced

1 cup white wine

2 quarts water

3/4 pound rockfish or halibut fillet

3/4 pound monkfish fillet

8 clams, cleaned

8 mussels, cleaned

2 tablespoons Ricard or Pernod (optional)

6 slc oven-toasted French bread

Preparation

Think if this as a kind of junior bouillabaisse. It may not have all the elements of the famous south-of-France fish stew, but it has a wonderful flavor of its own that comes from the first step, making a fresh broth. It's here that the flavors of fennel, leeks, herbs and tomatoes infuse themselves with those extracted from fish bones and scraps (obtained cheaply from any fish market). The early work pays off when the final preparation takes only about 10 minutes and the flavors are so deep. Choose two or three lean fish types for variety, and feel free to add shrimp, lobster or scallops if you like. But don't skip the clams and mussels. They add a tremendous hit

The best wine for bouillabaisse is the best wine for this dish, too: a dry rose. Somehow, neither the fruitiest whites nor the most gallant reds can take on this dish with quite the aplomb of a humble rose, especially one with freshness and no sweetness. For those who must have a Chardonnay, choose a buttery-rich one. The fish stew points up the wine's creamy richness.

Up to a day or two in advance: Rinse the fish scraps well and place them in a large saucepan or small stock pot. Trim the green stalks, the base and the tough outer layer of the fennel bulb and add the trimmings to the pot.

Refrigerate the fennel heart for the final preparation. Peel, seed and coarsely chop the tomato. Add the peels and about 1/3 of the tomato pulp to the pot. Reserve the rest for the final preparation. Slice the leek and celery coarsely and add it to the pot along with the bay leaf, parsley, thyme, garlic and lemon. Cover with wine and water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain this stock though a colander or sieve into a clean pot,

Final preparation: Reheat the stock with the reserved fennel and tomato. Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Cut the rockfish and monkfish fillets into thin slices. Add them to the pot along with the clams and mussels. When the shellfish open wide and the fish is cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes, stir in the Ricard or Pernod if you like, and serve immediately in bowls over slices of oven-toasted French bread.

Serves 4 to 6.