Basque seafood stew

Ingredients For the fish stock 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 fennel bulb, sliced 1 carrot, chopped 1 red onion, chopped ½ garlic clove, crushed 2 bay leaves handful fresh parsley stems, roughly chopped pinch saffron strands 1 tsp fish sauce 500g/1lb 2oz clean fish bones, preferably back bones 12 mussels, cleaned and de-bearded salt and freshly ground black pepper For the stew 12 new potatoes, halved 1 tbsp olive oil 175g/6oz chorizo, chopped into 2cm/1in lengths 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed 2 red onions, peeled and chopped 1 tsp hot smoked paprika 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika 1 red pepper, seeds removed, sliced 1 yellow pepper, seeds removed, sliced 500g/1lb 2oz monkfish fillet, off the bone 100g/3½oz plain flour salt and freshly ground black pepper 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil 50g/2oz unsalted butter For the rouille pinch saffron strands 3 anchovy fillet 1 garlic clove pinch salt 2 free-range egg yolks 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp tomato purée squeeze lemon juice 8-10 drops Tabasco sauce, to taste 250ml/9fl oz olive oil Preparation method Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. For the fish stock, heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over a medium heat and add the fennel, carrot, onion and garlic. Gently fry for ten minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the bay leaves, parsley stems, saffron strands, fish sauce and fish bones. Cover with cold water and bring to simmer. Cook for a further 20 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Strain the stock into a clean pan and set aside. For the stew, par-boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water for 4-5 minutes, then drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the chorizo, garlic and red onion and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Add the hot smoked paprika, sweet paprika, red pepper, yellow pepper and the par-boiled potatoes. Fry for 5-10 minutes, adding a splash of fish stock if the mixture is too dry, until the potatoes are tender. Set aside. Lightly dust the monkfish fillet in flour and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a high heat until smoking hot, then add the vegetable oil and fry the monkfish for 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden-brown all over. Add the butter to the pan and use to baste the fish for a further 1-2 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the monkfish is cooked through. Remove from the oven, cover in foil and set aside to rest for ten minutes. Meanwhile, for the rouille, grind the saffron strands, anchovies and garlic with a pinch of salt using a large pestle and mortar until smooth. Add the egg yolks, mustard, tomato purée, lemon juice and Tabasco sauce and mix until well combined. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a thin steady stream, whisking continuously until the mixture has emulsified and resembles a thick mayonnaise. Set aside. To serve, bring the fish stock back to the boil and add the mussels to cook for 1-2 minutes, or until they have opened (discard any mussels that remain shut). Remove the mussels from the stock with a slotted spoon. Reheat the potato and chorizo stew, then ladle into the centre of four large, round bowls. Slice the pan-fried monkfish and divide among the bowls, arranging the fish on top of the stew. Place three mussels each around the edge of the stew, then ladle over the hot fish stock. Serve the rouille on the side.