As with most good fish stews, you can use just about any fish and shellfish. Though I would avoid anything too delicate, because it will fall apart and be difficult to serve.

While I suppose you could blanch and peel fresh tomatoes here, I tend to use a high-quality canned variety. The hard works is already done for you, and they’re almost certainly better than whatever “fresh” tomatoes you can find. And if you do get really amazing in-season tomatoes, I think there are better ways to use them.

I would steer clear of pre-diced tomatoes, however counterintuitive. Producers will often add something like calcium chloride to tinned tomatoes to help them retain firmness, and they’ll add more to help the smaller pieces in pre-diced tomatoes hold their shape.

This makes enough for about two people.

Ingredients

For the fish stock

  • Assorted fish bones
  • 3 small sprigs thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Water

For the stew

  • Olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, slivered
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
  • 400 g can plum tomatoes
  • Salt
  • 200 g (200 mL) white wine
  • 400 g firm fish, cut into individual portions
  • 200 g assorted shellfish (e.g., mussels, clams, langoustines)
  • Mint, roughly chopped

Method

For the fish stock

Combine all the ingredients together in a stock pot, and cover everything with water. Bring everything to a bare simmer and let the mixture cook for 2-3 hours, until it’s flavorful.

For the stew

In a medium cocotte or Dutch oven, heat a film of olive oil over medium heat until the oil is loose and just begins to shimmer. Then add the garlic and fennel and coriander seeds and cook everything until it’s just fragrant.

Then add the tomatoes (including the sauce from the tin) and a healthy pinch of salt. Using a spoon, break up the tomatoes to make a sauce. Let the tomatoes reduce slightly, 20 to 30 minutes. Then add the wine and bring everything back up to a bare simmer.

Season the fish to taste with salt. Add the fish and shellfish with a ladle of the fish stock, covering the pot, and sequencing the additions of the fish and shellfish to avoid overcooking anything.

Transfer the finished stew to a serving dish, and top it with a drizzle of good olive oil and the chopped mint.