Spanish flavors and N. C. seafood soup cookery meld in Beckelhimer’s recipe. He hard poaches eggs in the soup, a favorite addition to fish stews made on the N.C. coast. Getting the eggs just right takes a little practice. Make sure the soup is not bubbling when placing the eggs in the pot.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 fennel bulb, finely diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 16-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
Pinch of saffron
18 ounces vegetable stock
2 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into small dice
2 pints shucked oysters with their liquid
4 or 5 whole eggs
Chili flakes, to taste
1 tablespoon fennel pollen (optional)
Garnish: Chopped flat-leaf parsley
Crusty bread

Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel and garlic to pan. Sauté vegetables until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, saffron, stock and diced potatoes. Increase heat, bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat so that the stew nearly but doesn’t quite simmer. Add oysters with their liquid, stirring gently to distribute shellfish. Bring soup back up to heat. Crack eggs one a time into a small bowl, and gently place each egg into the soup, slipping them in near the sides of the pot. The eggs should poach in the soup without breaking the yolk or spreading the white. Continue cooking the stew 6 to 7 minutes, until eggs are cooked through and oysters are slightly curled around the edges. Season soup with chili flakes and fennel pollen. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with flat-leaf parsley. Serve with crusty bread.