Shellfish Stew

Serves 4

This can be served as a starter or main course, and do incorporate other shellfish if you wish, according to what's available.

Now, you can cheat a bit here. I always save my shellfish shells and make a bisque for the freezer – and hopefully you will have taken my advice and currently have some in stock. If you haven't listened, however, then there are some good bisques and fish soups on the market, which make the perfect base for this dish.

4 medium to large scallops, cleaned
200g live mussels, cleaned
250-300g live clams or cockles, cleaned
8-12 large scampi tails or langoustines
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small bulb of fennel, or half a large one, finely chopped
A good knob of butter
100ml white wine
250-300ml fish soup or bisque
1/2tbsp chopped fennel fern or dill
1/2tbsp chopped parsley

In a large saucepan, gently cook the fennel and garlic in the butter for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the white wine and simmer for a couple of minutes until it has reduced by two-thirds. Add the fish soup, bringing it to the boil, then drop in all the fish, the parsley and dill. Cover with a lid until the mussels and clams have opened, then serve immediately.