Seafood Stew in Saffron Broth

Ingredients

1. 1 teaspoon saffron threads
2. 2 cups dry white wine
3. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4. 1 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
5. 3 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
6. 3 celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch thick
7. 8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
8. One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
9. 5 cups fish stock or 2 1/2 cups water plus 2 1/2 cups bottled clam juice
10. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
11. 1 1/2 pounds monkfish fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes
12. 1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes
13. 1 pound sea scallops, quartered
14. 1 pound rock shrimp, shelled and deveined
15. 4 dozen mussels, cleaned and debearded
16. 1/2 cup heavy cream
17. 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. In a small bowl, let the saffron infuse in 1/2 cup of the wine for 20 minutes.
2. In a large, wide pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, 8 minutes. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of wine and the tomatoes and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the fish stock and saffron mixture and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the monkfish, tilapia, scallops and shrimp to the broth and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the mussels, cover the pot and cook until the fish and scallops are just cooked through, the shrimp are pink and the mussels open, about 3 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open.
4. Stir the cream and parsley into the seafood stew and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve.