Seafood Stew - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 small)
2 cups small white potatoes, large-diced
2 cups fennel, chopped (1 large bulb)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 cups good white wine
1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped
1 quart seafood stock or 1 quart fish stock
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped (3 cloves)
1 teaspoon saffron thread
1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined (reserve the shells for the stock)
1 lb halibut, cut in large chunks
1 lb bass fillet, cut in large chunks
24 mussels, cleaned
3 tablespoons Pernod
1 teaspoon orange zest, grated
toasted baguette, sliced, buttered, and rubbed with garlic

Preparation

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot, add the onions, potatoes, fennel, salt, and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown.
Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock, garlic, and saffron to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Add the shrimp, fish, and mussels, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes. The fish and shrimp should be cooked and the mussels opened. Discard any mussels that don't open.
Stir in the Pernod, orange zest, and salt, to taste. Serve ladled over 1 or 2 slices of toasted baguette.