October 2025

Tuscan seafood stew

Name: Tuscan seafood stew
Yield: Recipe serves 6
Ingredients: 1 onion; 4 garlic cloves; 1 carrot; 2 sticks of celery; 1 fennel bulb; 2tbsp light olive oil; 1tsp fennel seeds; 1tbsp tomato purée; 250ml white wine; 2 x 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes; Good pinch of saffron; 750ml fish or vegetable stock; 500g monkfish tail; 500g clams or mussels; 12 tiger prawns, shells on; 1 lemon, juice; Handful of Italian parsley, roughly chopped; 1 red chilli, finely sliced; Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling; 1 egg; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; ½ lemon, juice; 250ml olive oil; Green salad; Fresh bread

Hearty and fresh, this seafood stew is the perfect crowd pleaser

By Emily LampsonPhotography by Maja Smend

10 October 2025

Maja Smend

‘The first restaurant kitchen I worked in was in Florence, 25 years ago,’ says Emily Lampson. ‘Beccofino has since closed, but the inspiration stays with me. The most valuable lesson I learned there was respect for ingredients – sourcing the best local produce and using herbs to bring a dish together. When I returned to the UK, I went straight into Heston Blumenthal’s kitchen at The Fat Duck, before opening The Kingham Plough in the Cotswolds. There, I found myself reverting to Italy when sourcing cheese, meat, fruit and vegetables. We were fortunate – there was plenty to choose from. Now, I cook at the barn on our farm in Dorset, hosting supper clubs and private events.’

Tuscany is known for its hearty, warming, rich and incredibly aromatic soups. You can prepare the base of this stew a day ahead up to the end of step two. Before serving, bring the stew base back up to a simmer, adding a little water if it’s thickened too much, then add the fish and seafood, and continue the recipe.

MAY WE SUGGEST: More autumnal Italian recipes by Emily Lampson

Recipe notes