On a gloomy rainy day or when your spirits are down, make this exquisite seafood soup and you will be almost instantly invigorated and recharged after finishing a bowl. Make this wonderful recipe for a distressed friend or an ailing loved one to warm their hearts and clear their minds of dark clouds. Serve this with a bottle of Coteaux daix blanc to dinner guests for a blissful time.

Seafood pot-au-feu with vegetables is a flavorful fish stew consisting of bass and sole filets, crayfish, scallops, fennel, baby carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, and mushrooms. This recipe created by Chef Franck Salein is a seafood version of the classic French stew, pot-au-feu, literally “pot on fire,” which is the quintessential French family dish. Every family in France has their own version of this famous stew. Traditionally made with beef, pot-au-feu has evolved and mutated into many different kinds.

This fish stew with vegetables is served in the luxurious spa, Les Sources de Caudalie, “a haven in Bordeaux where time loses its meaning.” Now you can make this therapeutic stew at home and serve it to your family after a long stressful day at work or school.

The broth in this dish starts out with a fish stock, which has been prepared in advance or a day before. The vegetables are cooked in the stock and then removed and set aside so that they remain al dente and not overcooked. The fish and seafood are then cooked in the soup and later removed so all the diverse flavors are condensed in the precious liquid. Overtime, the broth develops a superb flavor full of fish bits and vegetable juice. Lemon juice is added to the broth near the end to add zest and enhance its flavor. Not only is this soup delicious, it is also highly nutritious and can heal a tired body and rejuvenate a worn out mind.

Ingredients
2 sole fillets
0.7 lbs. bass
4 scallops
4 prawns
2 1/2 cups fish fumet (stock)
5/8 cup olive oil
3 star-shaped anise
thyme
laurel
2 tomatoes
1 zucchini
4 fennel
4 carrots
4 Portobello mushrooms
juice of 1 lemon
salt, pepper

Preparation Instructions

Clean and prepare the fish. Slice the sole and the sea bass into nice filets.

In a pan, heat the fish stock and season with star anise, salt and pepper. Add a teaspoon of olive oil. Bring to a low boil. Cook vegetables in the broth and once cooked al dente, remove them. Add bay leaf and thyme. Cook the fish, scallops, and crayfish and let it simmer without boiling. When the seafood has cooked, place the cooked vegetables in the broth.

Remove the fish and place in a shallow bowl. Arrange the scallops and crayfish in the same dish. Place the vegetables around, evenly distributing the color.

To finish off the sauce, enhance the flavor with some lemon juice and let simmer for a few minutes. Add the soup in the dish and season with a few drops of olive oil.