SHELLFISH STEW WITH PARSLEY OIL

45 MINS

We’ve cooked this many times for friends and family; it’s such a sociable dish that gets everyone diving in.

SERVES 4

For the parsley oil

— 100ml olive oil

— 1 garlic clove

— 3 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley

For the stew

— 8 tbsp olive oil

— 2 shallots, finely chopped

— 1 fresh red chilli

— 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

— 10 thyme sprigs, leaves only

— generous splash of Pernod

— 1 fennel bulb, chopped

— 6 medium-sized tomatoes, quartered and roasted (roasting is optional)

— 2 pinches of saffron

— 200ml white wine

— 150ml fish stock

— 600g live mussels

— 350g live clams

— 4 langoustines

— 4 raw tiger prawns ( jumbo shrimp), heads and shells on

— small handful of basil leaves, chopped, to garnish

In a food processor, combine all the parsleyoil ingredients. Blend well and set aside.

For the stew, heat the olive oil in an extra-large lidded saucepan set over a low heat. Add the shallots, chilli, garlic and thyme, and sweat for about 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the Pernod and cook for a further three minutes, to cook off the alcohol. Add the fennel and cook for about five minutes, until soft, then add the tomatoes and saffron, and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the wine and fish stock. (If you want to add any steaks of fish, such as ray, bass, bream or gurnard, you could do so at this point.) Cook for four minutes, then add all the shellfish and cover with a lid to allow it to steam.

Once the mussels and clams have popped open, about 4-5 minutes, drizzle with the parsley oil and sprinkle with basil. Serve with crusty bread.