Seafood Stew in Three Easy Steps

One of my favorite magazines is Everyday Food.  It is, wait for it, a Martha Stewart magazine. Oh yes I "heart" Martha in case you haven't noticed... but seriously this magazine is well organized with a lot of recipes that are simple to make. Take this seafood stew, for example, it practically makes itself. 

Seafood Stew*

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced, plus fronds for garnish
1 large tomato, diced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces skinless striped bass or red snapper fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, or diver scallops, or a combination

Directions

In a medium Dutch oven or saucepan, combine oil and garlic; cook
over medium-high until garlic is fragrant, 1 minute. Add fennel and
cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
Add tomato, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently,
until tomato is breaking down, about 3 minutes.

Stir in broth and bring stew to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer.

Gently fold in seafood. Return to a bare simmer and cook until
seafood is opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Serve stew topped with
fennel fronds and a drizzle of oil, with bread alongside.

*From the October 2009 issue of Everyday Food.