Italian Fennel Saffron Fish Stew

The sauce for this stew is packed with anti-inflammatory heart healthy phytonutrients, and bold flavors thanks to the aromatics, seasonings, leeks, fennel, shallot, fresh herbs, and saffron

There is a bit of work on the front end chopping and sautéing, but it’s worth it. This is also an excellent dish for entertaining, as you can make the sauce a day ahead, and then when you are ready to serve, simply drop your fish in, starting with the longest cooking pieces first, and the shortest cooking last, poaching each fish type, then serve as a stew with some crusty baguette or a pasta of choice.

How to Make Italian Fennel Saffron Fish Stew

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Ingredients in Italian Fennel Saffron Fish Stew

Here are some of the key ingredients, how to prep them for this recipe, plus health benefits

Leeks – Cut the green tops off the leeks and discard, or use for a future stock. Also peel and discard the outer layer, as it is the oldest part of the leek, and can be tough. Leeks can be very sandy, so be sure to peel back layers and look for sandy bits as you rinse it off. Leeks, and any vegetable in the onion or garlic family lower cholesterol plus other health benefits

Shallot – Shallots are a cross between garlic and onion, and get very sweet and caramelized when cooked down. Peel off the thin skin and the outer layer before dicing. It’s easier to use a paring knife for small jobs like dicing shallots. Shallots, and any vegetable in the onion or garlic family lower cholesterol plus other heart health benefits.

Fennel – Cut the tops off of the fennel bulb, and save the fronds for a garnish. The outer layer of the fennel bulb can be tough, so if it’s a larger head, you may want to peel off and discard the outside layer. Cut in half, and remove and discard the core before dicing and adding to the stew. Fennel is an excellent digestive aid. My family would often munch on fennel as a snack growing up, and we would also have it after supper during family gatherings. Fennel supports heart health because it is high in fiber, and also potassium, which supports healthy blood pressure.

Italian Parsley Leaves and Fresh Basil Leaves – For this dish, we only want the leaves, not the stems. If there are a few stems that’s OK because we are going to pulse the sauce with a hand blender, before adding the fish, which should break up any stems. Parsley and basil are each superfoods in their own right, and each have unique anti-inflammatory compounds. Parsley is a good source of folate, which lowers homocysteine levels, supporting heart health. Basil supports healthy blood pressure levels.

Saffron – Saffron is the stigma of the crocus flower that is hand harvested. It takes 75,000 flower stigmas to make one pound of saffron, hence the hefty price tag, but luckily, a little goes a long way. It has an earthy, slightly bitter taste, but also a floral, slightly sweet taste, and is very unique. It’s used in many meat dishes, confectioneries, cheese, baked goods, and soups. Saffron contains phytonutrients called carotenoids which are anti-inflammatory and support heart health.

Crushed Tomatoes – Choose an organic brand, if possible, which will produce a sweeter sauce. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, important for prostate health in men, and also supports heart health by reducing arterial plaques, and protecting cells from damage of free radicals.

Print

Italian Fennel Saffron Fish Stew

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine anti inflammatory, antiinflammatory, Comfort Food, fish, hash brown, Japanese, Mediterranean, seafood, Shrimp

Keyword Anti Cancer, Anti Diabetes, Anti Inflammatory, Comfort Food, Dairy Free, Fennel, gluten free, healthy, Italian, Mediterranean, One Pot, Saffron, Seafood, Shellfish, Tomato Sauce

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups diced leek 1 large or 2 small, whites only
• 1 cup diced shallot
• 1 medium fennel bulb cored, diced (reserve fronds for garnish)
• Pinch of saffron*
• Zest of one lemon
• Bay leaf
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup Italian parsley leaves packed
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves packed
• ¼ tsp pepper flakes
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups fish stock*
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes preferably organic
• 3 # fish of choice Shown is 1# cod, 1# calamari, 1# wild caught shrimp
• Two dozen little neck clams scrubbed clean under cool water

Instructions

1. In a medium pot, sauté leek, shallot, and fennel in olive oil over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes
2. Stir in saffron, lemon zest, and bay leaf
3. Stir in tomato paste and sauté until vegetables begin to caramelize
4. Stir in Italian parsley leaves, basil, pepper flakes, sea salt, and sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently
5. Deglaze the pan with white wine and fish stock
6. Add crushed tomatoes, and simmer covered over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
7. Using an immersion blender, grind saffron fennel sauce to break up bits of vegetables, but leaving a little texture to the sauce
8. Taste, and adjust for seasonings
9. You can cool and store in the refrigerator at this point until you are ready to cook the fish and serve, or continue to next steps
10. Add fish in order of cooking time, with longer cooking fish going in first
11. Drop in cod and fold sauce over cod pieces, allow to simmer 3 minutes
12. Add shrimp, simmer one minute
13. Add clams, slimmer until they open, gently stirring occasionally, and discard any that do not open
14. Drop in calamari in last two minutes of cooking time, and gently heat through
15. Taste sauce, and adjust for seasonings
16. Options for service: Family style on a deep platter, over pasta, with hot crusty bread, accoutrements like pepper flakes, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon wedges, topped with a fennel frond garnish

Recipe Notes

*Fish stock can be purchased in grocery markets, or you can use clam juice, found in the canned seafood section. I boil shrimp shells to make my own stock and freeze for future use, but a bottle of clam juice is fine also
*Saffron is expensive, but a little goes a long way – See the notes in this blog for usage