Fish Stew

• 1/3 cup (75 mL) olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• A few threads saffron
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 8 cups (4 L) hot fish stock (see Notes)
• 1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine
• 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) Italian plum tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus 1/3 cup (75 mL) of their juice
• 3 lbs (1.5 kg) assorted fish (such as monkfish, halibut, red snapper, red mullet, sea bass or cod fillets), cut into large chunks
• 8 oz (250 g) mussels or clams, scrubbed and debearded; discard any with damaged shells
• 8 oz (250 g) large shrimp (fresh or thawed from frozen), peeled and deveined
• ¼ cup (50 mL) chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 8 thick slices rustic country style bread, brushed with oil, oven-toasted

1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, saffron and a pinch each of salt and pepper; cook for 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Do not allow garlic to brown.

2. Stir in fish stock, wine, tomatoes and their juice. Increase heat and boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Add fish chunks; cook another 5 minutes, increasing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Add mussels and shrimp; cover and cook 2 minutes longer or until shellfish open and shrimp turns pink.(Discard any mussels or clams that do not open.) Stir in chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put a toast in the bottom of each bowl; ladle soup over and serve immediately.