If you’re tempted to walk up to a seafood counter and pick out one thing from each display, try this stew. A take-off on French bouillabaisse, it combines six kinds of seafood in a tomato and saffron-enhanced broth. There’s not any racy story behind its name. I was just trying to emphasize its robustness.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Spanish onion, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
2 large carrots, peeled and thickly cut on the bias
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
4 cups clam juice
1 cup dry white wine
3 teaspoons fennel seeds
A few pinches Spanish saffron
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup uncooked medium pasta shells
1/2 pound halibut fillet
1/2 pound salmon fillet
12 cherrystone clams
12 mussels
1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 pound scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a stockpot heat the olive oil over mediumhigh heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, clam juice, wine, fennel seeds, saffron, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pasta shells and simmer for 5 minutes. Cut the halibut and salmon into large chunks and add to the pot. Add the clams, mussels, shrimp, and scallops. Cover the pot and cook until the clam and mussel shells open, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 8 servings.