Tomato-Rich Fish Stew

This soup was easy to make and smelled wonderful while stewing. When I first ate it, I thought it had too much fennel and made a mental note to use less next time. Meanwhile, my husband thought there was too much rosemary (I would've preferred to use basil if I could've gotten fresh), and I have to admit we didn't actually measure the rosemary, but we weren't too far off from 4T. It was still great though, just strongly herbiferized. The good news, however, is that the soup was perfect the next day, just what I'd hoped for. I honestly think it compares to the celebrated name-sake chowder served in one of Ann Arbor's more swanky restaurants.

This was really very good! I, like all cooks, made a few changes, however. I didn't use fennel see, but instead used anise seed because it is essentially the same thing, but can be purchased for much cheaper in the Mexican food isle. I also used a can of clams in place of one of the bottles of juice (again for financial reasons). I added the juice from the can, and added the minced clams 2 minutes before serving. I also used sun dried tomatos packed in oil because I couldn't find the other kind at my home supermarket. Finally, I added the zest of one mandarin orange at the same time as the other spices. This really added a lot to this delicious stew. My husband was really impressed =).

This was delicious, full of flavor, and fairly quick and easy considering the somewhat long list of ingredients. The only change I made was to omit the beans. Others have commented that the fennel was too strong, but I thought it significantly improved the flavor without being overpowering. This is a definite keeper.

This soup was very easy to prepare and delicious. Pulling from items I had on hand, I used sun-dried tomatoes in oil chopped fine, and I did not puree them in the blender. I did not have a green pepper, so I used 1 diced red pepper and 2 finely diced jalapenos. I also used canned, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 t of dried rosemary and 1 T of dried thyme with fresh tilapia. This stew was excellent, and is now in my regular rotation. My husband gives this a four because he doesn't care for olives. The sissy.

Wonderful recipe. We tried this because we had some leftover tuna, crab, shrimp and oysters from a night we made our own sushi. We put it all in and pretty much followed the recipe only leaving out the fennel and olives which we did not have on hand. Came out great. I imagine any combination of fish would work fine in this dish. Cheers!

I made this for my wife, followed directions and it was not good at all. Save your time & money!!!

This was delicious! I couldn't find a can of navy beans so I used a different type of white bean instead and it turned out great! thanks for sharing.

This was very good, but too much fennel. I would try 1/2 the next time. I also substituted 1 tsp of dried herbs for each tbl of of fresh.

I made this soup for my wife and I. It really turned out good. I used two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes, added chopped broccoli and carots, pepper flakes and used 2 Tbl. of cooking sherry instead of the dry red wine (didn't have any). I also let it sit overnight in the frig to let the flavors combine. This is definitely worth making again. Greg

I had to tweak this recipe, as I most always do because I try to work with what I have on hand (so as to not let anything end up being unused and forgotten for too long and left to waste)... We didn't have any bell peppers (shame), so I substituted about 1/3 of a bag of peas instead. I also had only one bottle of clam juice. I had no fresh herbs to put in, but I just used Herbs de Provence and that's just as good as anything. I had about half a cup of Moroccan oil-cured olives, so I used those... I didn't have any beans and I used canned tuna, but nevertheless, despite all that, it still turned out fantastic. I added the juice of a lemon too, of course, and some spice (probably Cholula, cayenne and/or curry, but I forget).

This is absolutely outstanding. I add an 8 oz can of clams in the juice, and i also find that I like it better without the beans. It doesn't need it! Tilapia works beautifully for this recipe.

I used leftovers from a basic fish (cod)/ tomato/ herb recipe from On Rue Tatin as a base for this stew, adding missing ingredients (except beans and more fish. The tomatoes were also all fresh from end of season garden. Great, great flavor!!

LOVED this recipe, even with substitutions I needed to make (home grown tomatoes, Northern beans for Navy, etc.)...my teenager just said, "We'll definitely have to make that one again!" 3 Thumbs up!! ;)

If you like paella-type dishes you'll probably like this. I personally disliked it, but I had to substitute for spices I didn't have!

Instantly became a go-to meal for my husband and me - can see this cold in the summer. The stew with rosemary sourdough bread from Whole Foods made a robust but healthy meal, with lots left over for the next day(s) or to freeze. The prep was easy - and somewhat time-consuming. Only two changes: halved the fennel seed; added a few more olives since I'm an olive addict. Used about 1.5 Tbsp fresh rosemary and a couple pinches of dried basil.

This stew is sooo good. I used fresh basil and thyme (along with dry rosemary) and added shrimp, little necks and scallops along with tilapia. My husband and I really enjoyed this hearty, healthy meal and will definitely make it again.

It looked good, but the taste didn't live up to expectations. The flavours just weren't up to par, so I had to add a lot of my own seasonings while cooking, and also after it was served. This stew also doesn't do well as leftovers. I won't be trying this again.

Another delicious and easy way to eat fish. I used a mixture of Grouper, Spanish Mackerel, can of chopped tomatoes, sherry and didn't use water on the sun-dried tomatoes. All sauteed in pot and fish went in last.

I have made this several times and it always gets great reviews. I make it pretty much as is except for mixing the fresh herbs up, using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (use drained oil to saute onion and green pepper), but have never used the fennel seeds. Yum!

Very good, I threw in some rice (cooked separately) for consistency, everyone loved it. Will make it again.

For the fish I used mussels, cod, pollack and salmon. I did not have navy beans and substituted with kidney beans and chick peas. Everything else was the same and it was delicious!!!

I made only one change to this recipe - I left out the olives. I didn't have any on-hand, and it just didn't sound good to me. Maybe if I hadn't, it would have balanced out the fennel flavor. When I make it again, I quite possibly will leave out the olives again, and will try it with less fennel seed. It was still very very good.

Claudia particularly liked this dish. It was good.

This recipe was really good. The only change I made was to add mushrooms.

WOW! This recipe should have hundreds of rave reviews! This is 5 star although I made a few changes out of necessity. Here's what I did. 1. Skipped the 1st step since I used Trader Joe's minced sundried tomatoes in olive oil. 2. Used shrimp stock I had on hand in place of clam juice. Yum! 3. Had no fresh herbs so used 1 tsp thyme and 1 tsp basil and a bit of celery seed. 4. I did use a good red wine, but just a half cup, making up the difference with more shrimp broth. 4. This is the most surprising part. Made the recipe thru step 3 and let it sit for several hours before completing it for suppertime. The flavors deepened, and seemed so different than when it was first simmered. 5. Used 1.5 lbs. of monkfish and threw in some shrimp too. There was plenty of leftover sauce so tonight I'll throw in some cod after I bring the sauce to a simmer. I know already that this recipe is adaptable and versatile and it will be a regular in our house. THANKS JEAN CARPER! Everyone should try this unusual and divine way to make a fish stew that is so healthy and does not include potatoes or cream.