Quick Seafood, Fennel and White Bean Stew (gf)

, from Issue #79. July, 2018
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Quick Seafood, Fennel and White Bean Stew (gf)

A fabulous, easy one-pan dish to place on the table with plenty of crusty bread for mopping up the juices.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Base
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced, fronds reserved
1 stick celery, sliced, small tender inner leaves reserved
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
½ cup white wine
¼ cup crème fraîche
1 cup good stock; use fish, chicken or vegetable
2 x 400-gram tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
sea salt and ground pepper
Stew
800 grams firm white fish, cut into large pieces
12 large raw peeled prawns
To serve
lemon halves
dark rye bread or a crusty sourdough

METHOD

Base: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or saucepan and add the onion, leek, fennel, celery, garlic, caraway seeds and tarragon. Season generously with salt and pepper and cook
over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the wine and let it bubble up for 2 minutes then stir in the crème fraîche. Add the stock and beans and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stew: Season the fish and prawns then nestle into the pan. Cover and simmer until the seafood is just cooked.

To serve: Ladle into bowls and top with the reserved fennel fronds and a few celery leaves. Serve with lemon halves to squeeze over and a dark rye bread or a crusty sourdough. Serves 4.