BERRY'S SEAFOOD RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oil in a large deep saucepan. Add the onions and fennel and sauté over a medium heat for 5 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic and tomato purée and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and stock and add the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then add the saffron, basil stalks and orange zest, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

  2. Add the mussels and stir them into the pan. Cover again with the lid, bring back up to the boil and cook for about 4 minutes until all of the mussels have opened. Take the pan off the heat and use a slotted spoon to carefully scoop the cooked mussels in their shells into a bowl, making sure you haven’t left any in the pan. Leave to cool for a few minutes while you blend the soup.

  3. Discard the basil stalks and blend the soup until completely smooth – this is easiest with a hand blender. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 10 minutes to reduce (you should have about 2 litres/2 pints 2fl oz in total at this point).

  4. Meanwhile, make the rouille. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

  5. When the mussels are cool enough to handle, reserve 18 mussels in their shells, then remove the remaining mussels from their shells and place in another small bowl.

  6. Season the soup with salt and pepper and add the orange juice. Add the seabass and cod, cover again and gently simmer for 3–4 minutes, then add the cooked mussels, the reserved mussels in their shells and the crayfish tails and simmer for another 2–3 minutes until heated through and all of the fish is cooked.

  7. Divide the bouillabaisse between bowls, spoon some of the rouille into each bowl, sprinkle with the shredded basil leaves and serve.

  Mary's Classic Tip: Give the mussels a good scrub and a couple of rinses before cooking as the shells are an integral part of the sauce and you want as little grit in there as possible. Discard any shells that remain open when tapped and, once cooked, discard any that remained closed and didn't open in the stew.

Steps:

• 1. For the salad, measure the sugar and wine vinegar into a small pan. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, then pour into a salad bowl and leave to cool. Slice the fennel as thinly as you can and add it to the bowl with the spring onions, herbs and seasoning. Stir to combine and leave to marinate for about an hour.

  2. For the blinis, measure the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the egg and a little of the milk, then whisk to combine. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk to make a smooth batter with the consistency of thick pouring cream. Add the herbs and season with salt and pepper.

  3. Heat a frying pan until hot and add little oil. Spoon in a heaped tablespoon of batter to make a large thin blini – almost like a Scotch pancake. Cook for a few minutes and when bubbles start to appear on the surface, flip it over and cook for 1–2 minutes until cooked through. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make 4 blinis. Set them aside on a rack to cool.

  4. To make the crab topping, mix the crème fraîche, lemon juice, spring onions, horseradish, herbs and Tabasco in a bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Reserve a heaped tablespoon of crabmeat and mix the rest into the bowl.

  5. Sit each blini on a plate. Divide the crab mixture between them and spoon a little of the reserved crab in the centre of each. Spoon the salad next to the blinis and garnish with pea shoots.

  Prepare ahead: Can make all the components up to 8 hours ahead, then assemble up to an hour before serving.