Seafood Stew with Anchovy Aioli

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot
• finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup bottled clam juice
• One 28-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes with their juices
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• Two 2-inch-long strips of orange zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• Cayenne pepper
• 3/4 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp
• cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 pound sea scallops
• halved or quartered if large

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering.
3. Add the onion, carrot and three-fourths of the garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 3 minutes.
5. Stir in the clam juice, the tomatoes and their juices, the diluted tomato paste, orange zest and 1/2 teaspoon of the anchovy paste; season with salt and pepper.
6. Simmer over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
7. Discard the orange zest.
8. Transfer half of the soup to a blender and coarsely puree.
9. Return the puree to the soup in the saucepan.
10. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the mayonnaise with the remaining garlic and 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste.
11. Season the aioli with cayenne.
12. Return the soup to a gentle boil.
13. Add the shrimp and scallops and simmer until just cooked through, about 3 minutes.
14. Serve the soup in deep bowls; pass the aioli at the table.