Light and delicious, this brothy fish soup is surprisingly easy to pull together. Make this for a cozy night in, fun dinner parties, or the holidays! Depending on how many you’re serving, this soup can easily be doubled or halved
1 leek, white and light green parts only
▢2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil + more for serving
▢1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
▢1 small white onion, chopped (1 cup)
▢2 large celery ribs, diced (¾ cup)
▢Kosher salt and black pepper
▢2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
▢2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
▢2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
▢½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
▢1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon blanc
▢4 cups low-sodium seafood stock or chicken broth
▢8 ounces bottled clam juice
▢2 dried bay leaves
▢1 pound firm white fish,* cut into 1-inch chunks
▢1 pound medium (41-50 count) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
▢1 pound scallops, feet removed
▢1 pound mussels or clams
▢¼ cup chopped parsley
▢1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
▢Crusty bread or ciabatta croutons for serving *
DIRECTIONS:
Halve leek lengthwise and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices; transfer to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Shimmy leek slices around in water; let rest 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider (or hands) strain leeks from water, being careful not to kick up dirt at bottom of bowl.
Heat butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add leek, fennel, onion, and celery; season with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 8–10 minutes.
Stir in garlic, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.
Deglaze with wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth, 4 cups water, clam juice and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.
Season white fish with salt and pepper.
Stir in shrimp and mussels, then arrange fish and scallops on top of stew, cover, reduce heat to medium-low (if your stove runs hot, reduce the heat to low), and simmer until mussels open and fish, scallops and shrimp are firm and opaque, about 5 minutes.
Discard bay leaves and stir in parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, and lemon juice; season with salt to taste (at least 1 teaspoon, I add 1 ½ teaspoons)
Off heat, stir in a tablespoon of butter or drizzle servings with olive oil