Fish Soup with Dill and Fennel

As someone who is often happiest when I'm in the kitchen, it always surprises me how much I enjoy coming home to a hot meal already made waiting for me. It reminds me that the joy I get from making food is equal to the pleasure of sitting down to a home cooked meal.

The other night I came home to this spectacularly tasty soup and discovered that the secret to its super taste was an accident: the juice drained from a can of tuna. It gave the soup a lovely complexity without overwhelming it with too much tuna flavor. I had seconds (and secretly thirds later in the night). Pairing dill with the tuna flavor, while not traditional, brought a green lightness to the soup that I loved.

Discovering how humble ingredients can elevate a meal is one of the great pleasures of cooking at home!

Fish Soup with Dill and Fennel

1 lb rock fish (frozen is fine, or any other white fish will probably work)
8-10 scallops
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 bottle of clam juice
1 shallot, minced
juice from 15 oz can of tuna in water
2 teaspoons dill
salt
pepper

In stock pot sear rock fish in olive oil until it begins to brown. Remove from pot and set aside. Add celery, onion, fennel, carrots, clam juice, tuna juice, shallot and 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover and cook until vegetables are just tender. Add fish back to pot, scallops and dill and cook another 3-4 minutes until scallops are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Hugs!