Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Difficult: Medium
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 white part only finely chopped leeks
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 finely chopped /medium fennel
1 deseeded and finely chopped medium green chilli
2 cans chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
ground pinch saffron
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
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 souce

Directions

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.

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.

Rinse the mussels, scrub them and remove their beards, any that remain open after giving them a sharp tap discard.

Add the fish and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

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.

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.