Provençal-style seafood soup

This seafood soup recipe has evolved from a straightforward tomato-based broth, making its way south to Provence with the addition of fennel, orange juice and a splash of Pernod. It now occurs to me that with a can of chickpeas, a half cup of couscous, and a dash of hot pepper sauce, it could easily hop the Mediterranean and land up in north Africa…

Provençal-style seafood soup
(serves 4)

• 1T olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium courgette, grated
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 Tb tomato paste
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 Tb Pernod (optional)
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 500 ml fish (or vegetable) stock
• salt and pepper
• 400g raw mixed shellfish, fresh or frozen (prawns, mussels, scallops, squid rings etc)
• creme fraiche to serve

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook five minutes.
2. Stir in the courgette, carrot, garlic and fennel seeds and cook a few minutes more.
3. Add the tomato paste and Pernod, and stir to combine. Cook for another minute.
4. Add the tomatoes and stock and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for about fifteen minutes, then season to taste.
5. Add the shellfish and cook with the lid on for 5m until the prawns are bright pink and everything is heated through.
6. Serve topped with a spoonful of creme fraiche.

Tags: French food, gluten-free, mussels, prawns, scallops, squid