Entree: France – Basque Country – Ttoro (Basque seafood stew of mixed fish and shellfish in a tomato-garlic broth)

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 15 min

Cook 16 min

Total 31 min

Ingredients

- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced, approx. 8 oz (225 g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced, approx. 6 oz (170 g)
- 1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
- 2 cups (480 ml) fish stock or clam broth
- 1 cup (240 g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 lb (454 g) firm white fish (hake or cod), cut into 1-1½ in (2.5–4 cm) chunks
- 8 oz (225 g) mussels, cleaned
- 8 oz (225 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp (2 g) Espelette pepper or 1/2 tsp (1 g) cayenne pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges for serving
- Toasted country bread or baguette slices for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and red bell pepper and cook until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
2. Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by about half, 3–4 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, fish stock, bay leaf, Espelette pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Add the firm white fish chunks to the simmering broth and cook gently for 4–6 minutes. Add the mussels and shrimp, cover, and cook until the mussels open and shrimp turn pink, about 3–5 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in chopped parsley and squeeze lemon over the stew. Serve hot with toasted bread to soak up the broth.