Seafood Stew with Fennel

Ingredients

• 350 g fennel (2 small bulbs; with greens)
• 0.5 organic lemon (juice)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 500 g cuttlefish tubes (cuttlefish tubes)
• 250 g baby octopus
• 800 g raw shrimp tails (ready to cook, de-veined, peeled except for the tail segment)
• 600 g shellfish (e.g., mussels, Venus clams)
• 2 shallots
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 1 red chili pepper
• 0.5 organic orange
• 1 tin saffron strands (0.1 g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50 ml white wine
• 800 g diced tomatoes (canned)
• 1 l fish stock (glass)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean the fennel, cut off the stalks, wash it, peel back the greens and set aside. Grate the fennel into very thin slices with a vegetable grater, drizzle with lemon juice, lightly salt and pepper, and let it rest until use.

2. 2.

   Rinse the cuttlefish tubes and slice them parallel into thin rings with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut all the way through so the rings stay connected. Rinse the baby octopus and shrimp and drain them. Wash the shellfish, clean thoroughly, and drain. Discard any open shells that do not close under gentle pressure; use only fully closed shells.

3. 3.

   Peel and finely dice the shallots and garlic. Halve the chili pepper lengthwise, remove seeds, wash, and chop. Peel the orange hot, grate dry, and cut zest into fine strips. Squeeze the orange for juice and soak saffron strands in the orange juice.

4. 4.

   Heat oil in a large pot. Sauté the shallots and garlic for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add half of the orange zest and chili pieces and sauté for another minute. Deglaze everything with the orange-saffron juice and wine, then simmer for about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and fish stock and let the mixture reduce open for about 30 minutes on low heat.

5. 5.

   Add the cuttlefish tubes, baby octopus, shrimp, and shellfish to the pot and stir, cooking for another 5–6 minutes until the shellfish open. Discard any still closed shells. Season the seafood stew with salt and pepper and serve in bowls. Arrange with marinated fennel and sprinkle with remaining orange zest and fennel greens.