- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds firm white fish fillet, such as red snapper or sea bream
- 1/2 pound scallops, muscle tabs removed, cut in half if large
- 1/2 pound shrimp, cleaned and tails removed
- 1/2 pound squid, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
- 2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 2 dozen mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 3 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn
- 4 cups fish stock or water, as needed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- In a large pot over moderate heat, warm the oil. Sear the fish fillets until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Add the scallops, shrimp, squid, and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring very gently, until the garlic is aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Add the saffron, clams, mussels, white wine, pepper flakes, tomatoes, about half the parsley, and half the basil. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes to begin cooking the seafood.
- Add the fish stock or water to make the soup as brothy as you like. Return the liquids to a boil, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer until the clams and mussels are completely open, 4 to 5 minutes (discard any that do not open after that time).
- Add the remaining parsley and basil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently ladle the soup into bowls, preserving as many whole pieces of fish as possible.