Maud Newton had posted a tomato soup recipe last week. When I made that soup over the weekend it was a hit with the ladies in the house. And when Maud urged me today to post a recipe of my own, I thought of the fish stew that I had enjoyed reading about in Saturday. (There had been pleasure in reading about it while it was being cooked by Henry Perowne. The events that transpired before dinner left me desiring not the stew but a stiff drink. Perhaps the gin with a slice of lemon and ice that Perowne had offered his guests.) In any case, after having sent the note to Maud pointing out the relevant pages, I happened to come upon this:

Henry Perowne’s Fish Stew
From Ian McEwan’s novel Saturday
with revisions by the author.

Note: Where quantities are not stated, trust your instincts or desires.

Into a stockpot of boiling water (a litre or more), put the bones of three skates (or other boned fish) with heads intact. If you have no obliging local fishmonger, use a pound or more of white fish.

Add a dozen or so mussels to the stock. Simmer for twenty five minutes.

Meanwhile, strip and chop three onions and eight fat cloves of garlic.
Soften over a low heat in a casserole with a lot of olive oil.
When they’ve melted sufficiently, add:

a couple of crushed red chillies
a pinch of saffron
some bay leaves
orange-peel gratings
oregano
five anchovy fillets
two cans of peeled tomatoes

When these have blended together in the heat add a quarter bottle of white wine. Then strain off the stock and add to the casserole.

Simmer the mix for twenty minutes.

Rinse and/or scrub the clams and remaining mussels and place in a bowl.
Cut the monkfish tails into chunks and place in a separate bowl.
Wash the tiger prawns and add to the monkfish bowl.
Keep both bowls refrigerated until ready to cook.

Just before dinner, reheat the casserole.

Simmer the clams, monkfish, mussels and prawns in the casserole for ten minutes.

Eat the stew with brown bread, or garlic bread, salad and a hearty red wine.

This recipe was prepared by Henry Perowne in Ian McEwan’s novel Saturday. The text, with revisions by Ian McEwan, is published on the Ian McEwan Website by permission of the author.