Summer Seafood Stew

This was oh so yummy. It's a fennel and tomato broth that lands somewhere in-between Bouillabaisse and Cioppino. It's light and flavorful and super satisfying. I used Halibut, Mussels, shrimp and soyrizo, but I'm sure any mixture of seafood would be great. I baked some French bread with butter, garlic and rosemary and it was the perfect pairing!

Ingredients:

6–8 ounces crumbled Soyrizo (or Chorizo)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 cups finely diced Fennel (large bulb)

1 cup finely diced Onion

4 Garlic Cloves, smashed and roughly diced

2 tbsp Tomato Paste

1 cup dry White Wine

4 Cups Chicken Stock

1 tsp Fish Sauce

2 medium Tomatoes, diced

8 oz firm Halibut

1 lb Mussels

1 lb large Prawns, raw, peeled and de-veined

1 tsp Chili Flakes

1 tsp Cayenne

1 tsp Brown Sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped flat leaf Parsley

1 Lemon

Franks Red Hot Sauce

Instructions:

1. In a large heavy bottom deep skillet, brown 6-8 ounces soyrizo in a little olive oil. Remove from casing and break up or crumble into small bite size pieces. Once browned, set aside.

2. In same skillet, heat olive oil on med high heat. Add fennel, stirring often for about 3 minutes. Add onion, turn heat down to med and sauté both until tender, about 8 minutes.

3. Add garlic, sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add tomato paste. Turn heat up to high, constantly stirring for 3 minutes.

5. Add white wine and turn heat down to medium high, stirring until it cooks down by half, about 2 minutes.

6. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, browned chorizo, and fish sauce and bring to a simmer.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the brown sugar, chili flakes and juice of one lemon.

8. Add fish, simmer a couple minutes then add prawns, simmer a couple minutes, then add mussels or additional 2 minutes.

9. Taste, adjust salt and lemon to your preferences. Serve with garlic bread, fresh parsley on top and a dash of Frank's Red Hot!