Provençal Fish Soup

Ingredients

• 16 ounce canned tomatoes whole chopped canned
• 1  carrots finely chopped
• 2 rib celery finely chopped
• 16 ounce bottled clam juice 
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds 
• 0.8 cup cooking wine dry red
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds 
• 6  garlic coarsely chopped
• 4 servings salt and coarsely ground pepper 
• 0.3 cup olive oil extra-virgin
• 1  onion finely chopped
• 4 strips orange zest 
• 1 tablespoon pernod 
• 0.5 cup ruby port 
• 1.8 pounds snapper fillets skinless red coarsely chopped
• 1 pinch saffron threads 
• 0.5 pound shrimp in the shell 
• 4  thyme sprigs 
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• ladle
• pot

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil.
2. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook over moderately high heat until softened, 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, orange zest, thyme sprigs, fennel and coriander seeds and saffron and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook over high heat until glossy, 1 minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, clam juice, wine and port and bring to a boil.
5. Add the grouper and shrimp, cover partially and simmer for 45 minutes. Discard the zest and thyme sprigs.
6. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Rinse out the pot. Set a food mill fitted with a coarse blade over the pot and run the soup through the food mill. Bring the soup to a simmer. Stir in the Pernod and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.