Simple seafood broth

First prepare the pepper spread. Stir the red pepper into the ricotta together with the cayenne pepper, celery, chives and salt to taste. Cover and chill until required.

Heat the fish stock in a large saucepan until boiling. Crumble the saffron into the stock and stir well, then remove from the heat and set aside.

To prepare the mussels, discard any broken shells or shells that do not close when tapped. Put the wet mussels into a clean saucepan and cover tightly. (There is no need to add water.) Cook over a moderate heat for 4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Check that the mussels have opened – if not, cover and cook for a further 1–2 minutes.

Set a colander over the saucepan of stock and tip the mussels into it so that the juices from the shells are added to the stock. Leave the mussels until they are cool enough to handle, then remove them from their shells and set aside. Discard any unopened shells.

Use a small sharp knife to make a shallow slit along the back of each prawn. Use the tip of the knife to remove the black vein and discard it. Cut each scallop across into 2–3 thin slices, depending on size. Cut the plaice fillet into strips about 2 cm ( 3/4 in) wide and 5 cm (2 in) long.

Reheat the fish stock until simmering. Add the mussels, prawns, scallops and strips of plaice. Stir, then heat until simmering gently again. Add the diced tomatoes and courgette with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the soup for 3 minutes.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls and scatter chives over to garnish. Serve at once, with the pepper spread and lots of warm French bread.