Ingredients

• 1 onion
• roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 125ml/4fl oz extra virgin olive oil
• 1 head fennel
• roughly chopped
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 4 star anise
• 300ml/10fl oz white wine
• 2 x 400g tins tomatoes
• 200g/7oz brown crabmeat
• puréed in a food processor until very smooth
• 1 small sourdough loaf
• cut into small cubes
• 1 x 750g/1lb10z cooked small lobster
• meat extracted and cut into pieces
• 3 x 75g/2¾oz pollock fillets
• skin left on
• 1 x 350g/12oz whole mackerel
• cut into large chunks
• 12 raw tiger prawns
• shells left on
• 1kg/2lb 4oz mussels
• scrubbed and de-bearded (discard any mussels that do not close tightly when tapped)
• freshly ground black pepper
• basil
• to garnish
• crusty bread
• to serve

Directions

• Preheat the oven to its highest setting.
• Place the onion
• garlic
• 75ml/2½fl oz of the olive oil
• the fennel
• fennel seeds
• star anise and half of the white wine into a large ovenproof casserole. Stir well then cook in the oven for 5-6 minutes
• or until the vegetables have just softened.
• Stir the tomatoes and crabmeat into the casserole and return to the oven for a further 4-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile
• scatter the cubes of bread into a roasting tray and drizzle with the remaining oil
• mixing well to coat the bread.
• Remove the casserole from the oven and add the croutons
• toasting for 2-3 minutes until just browned.
• Stir the lobster meat
• pollock
• mackerel
• prawns and mussels into the casserole and season well with pepper. Remove the croutons and return the casserole to the oven for a further 8-10 minutes
• or until the fish is cooked through (discard any mussels that remain closed).
• To serve
• sprinkle the croutons over the shellfish stew
• garnish with the basil
• then serve at the table with crusty bread.