- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup leeks, white part cleaned of all sand and diced
- 1 cup sweet onion diced, such as Vidalia
- 1/2 cup fresh fennel bulb, diced (if fennel is not available, add one teaspoon crushed aniseed when sautéing onions and leeks)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Vermouth or dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups clam juice (2 8-ounce bottles)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 28–ounce can crushed tomatoes (We like Pastene San Marzano)
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley chopped
- 6 tablespoons fresh basil, divided
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 pound fresh zucchini quartered the long way then sliced into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1 pound firm white fish cut into large chunks (halibut, mahi-mahi, catfish, etc.)