I made this for my Mom and Dad over the weekend, and it was so wonderfully easy and satisfying. I made a loaf of homemade bread, but I think it would be really good with wild rice too. This recipe is almost directly from Bon Appeitit. I just made a few adjustments.
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small (or 1/2 large) fennel bulb, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, juices reserved
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 8-ounce bottle clam juice
1 pound skinless fillets haddock or U.S. Pacific cod, cut into 1″ pieces
1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, or frozen king crab legs, thawed
Country-style bread or wild rice
Toast fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Finely grind in a spice mill; set aside.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and fennel are soft, about 12 minutes.
Stir in ground fennel seeds, tomatoes with juices, wine, clam juice, and 1 cup water. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring often, until flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Stir in fish, and shrimp and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with bread or rice.
