The freshest catch: Summer fish stew

Any fish or seafood can be added to this simple white wine and tomato-based stew. You could try salmon and prawns instead.

SERVES 4

TAKES 40 minutes

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

150ml dry white wine

200g cherry tomatoes, quartered

300ml fresh fish stock

4 x 120g skinless cod or hake fillets (or any other firm white fish)

100g mussels, cleaned and any open shells discarded

handful chopped flat-leaf parsley

crusty bread and lemon wedges, to serve

• Heat a large sauté pan or shallow casserole over a medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and toast for a minute or so until fragrant. Tip out of the pan and crush in a mortar and pestle until roughly ground.
• Return the pan to medium heat and add the oil, butter, onion and garlic with a big pinch of salt. Fry, stirring regularly, until starting to turn golden and caramelised, about 8 minutes. Add the crushed fennel seeds and paprika then fry for a minute more.
• Tip in the wine and bubble until almost completely reduced, then add the tomatoes and fish stock and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down.
• Nestle the cod and mussels into the pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until all the seafood is cooked through. Allow to stand off the heat for a couple of minutes before scattering with chopped parsley and serving with crusty bread and lemon wedges.

TIP It’s worth buying a good-quality fish stock for this stew. Most major supermarkets sell fresh stock.