Seafood Stew

2 T vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped, or 3 leeks, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 fresh tomatoes, peeled, diced
3 T tomato paste
2 cups bottled clam juice
4 cups chicken bouillon
1 T salt
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
1/4 t saffron
1/2 t thyme
1 bay leaf
6 springs parsley
grated rind of 1 orange
2 lbs mixed shellfish (crab, clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops)
1 lb assorted whitefish (sea bass, perch, cod, sole, red snapper, halibut)
chopped parsley for garnish

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; saute onions several minutes, until translucent. Add remaining ingredients (except the shellfish and fish); simmer for 45 minutes.

Prepare seafood. Cook crab in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Clean the crab and break into 4 pieces. Wash fish fillets; cut into 2-inch pieces. Add crab and firm-fleshed fish (bass, perch, halibut) to boiling liquid; cook 5 minutes. Remove crab to a soup tureen. Add tender-fleshed fish (sole, cod) and shellfish; cook 5 more minutes, removing clams and mussels as soon as they open, and the other fish as soon as it is cooked.

Boil liquid 10 minutes to reduce. Remove bay leaf, garlic and parsley sprigs. Pour into tureen and garnish with chopped parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Notes:

The grated orange peel in this stew adds an amazing depth of citrus flavor. Serve with rice or thin spaghetti. Squid ink spaghetti goes especially well with it.