Fisherman's Stew

I've been missing visits to one of my fav food cities - San Francisco. So many restaurants have their own delicious version of what I can only call "Fisherman's Stew". That said, I decided it was high time for me to come up with my own version, based on what I remember from tasting so many different ones. I think the walkaway stews on the wharf have their charm, especially since they're eaten outside. But, then again, the fish stews at some of the restaurants with table cloth and a view of the bay sport a taste that's hard to beat. Regardless of where, they always seem to be tomato based, with a variety of fish and seafood. Here's my version:

Ingredients: 

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup sliced fennel

1 red pepper, chopped

2 tsp tomato powder (or use a can of tomatoes)

1/2 cup white wine

5 oz V8 juice (not needed if using canned tomatoes)

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 cup fish or chicken stock (or more if the stew is too thick)

1 Tbs fresh basil, minced

1/2 lb shellfish

1/4 lb white fish, such as haddock, cod, or mahi mahi, cut into bite size pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbs fresh parsley, minced

Directions: 

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, fennel, and pepper to the soup pot, then cook for several minutes until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add the tomato powder, white wine, juice, zest and stock and bring to a simmer. Add the basil, along with the shellfish and fish and cook until shellfish and fish are just opaque, about 5 more minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste. Serve in bowls, topping each serving with some fresh parsley. 

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main dish

Stealthy Cooking Tip: I used a seafood blend from Trader Joes that included shrimp, scallops, and calamari, then added some mahi mahi for the fish. The premixed seafood made this a quick and easy stew to put together.