Ingredients

• 700ml/1¼ pints fish stock or salted water
• 12 large raw prawns
• heads and shells removed but reserved
• tails on
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30g/1oz butter
• 5 garlic cloves
• roughly chopped
• ½ onion
• roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery
• roughly chopped
• 1 green pepper
• deseeded and roughly chopped
• 100ml/3½fl oz dry white wine
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 turns black peppermill
• ½–1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 20 mussels
• scrubbed and debearded
• 250g/9oz monkfish
• cut into 4cm/1½in pieces
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 slices sourdough bread
• 1 garlic clove
• peeled and cut in half
• olive oil
• small handful flatleaf parsley
• roughly chopped

Directions

• Bring the stock to a simmer
• add the prawn heads and shells and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock into a clean bowl and set aside.
• Bring the vinegar and sugar to the boil in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Set aside.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large lidded saucepan. Stir in the garlic
• onion
• celery and green pepper and cook for 6–8 minutes or until soft. Add the white wine
• salt
• pepper
• chilli flakes
• tomatoes
• fish stock and vinegar reduction. Simmer for 30 minutes
• adding the oregano for the last 5 minutes.
• Discard any mussels with broken shells and any that refuse to close when tapped. Add the prawns
• cod and mussels
• cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile
• toast the sourdough on both sides and carefully singe slightly over a gas flame. Rub the toast with the cut-side of the garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
• Before serving
• discard any mussels that remain closed. Place a slice of the toast in each bowl
• ladle in some stew and sprinkle with parsley.