Recipe: Fish Soup With Shellfish [edit]

Step 1

Cook celery, carrots, onion and 2 cloves minced garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup white wine and cook until reduced by one-third, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and turn heat to low.

Step 2

In large covered skillet, cook clams with remaining white wine over high heat 3 minutes. Add mussels and cook, shaking occasionally to keep from scorching, until all shellfish are opened, about 5 more minutes. Remove shellfish from pan, cover tightly and refrigerate.

Step 3

Strain remaining liquid into measuring cup and add enough water to make 4 cups. Peel shrimp, reserving heads and shells. Place shrimp meat in plastic food bag, seal tightly and refrigerate until needed. Add shrimp shells and cooking liquid-water combination to soup pot and cook over medium heat 25 minutes.

Step 4

When done, ladle contents of soup pot into food processor and grind 5 minutes. Press through strainer into bowl. This may need to be done in batches. Add saffron to strained broth, cover tightly and refrigerate.

Step 5

Cut oily and white fish in chunks, place in plastic food bag with 1 clove minced garlic, salt to taste, crushed red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Seal tightly and massage through bag to evenly distribute ingredients. Refrigerate.

Step 6

When almost ready to serve, bring broth to simmer, add oily fish and white fish and cook 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until firm all the way through, about 5 minutes more. Add reserved clams and mussels and heat through. Season to taste with salt.

Step 7

Toast baguette slices and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Arrange baguette slices in wide soup bowls and ladle fish soup over top. Serve immediately.

Step 8

This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.