Seafood soup

Done it before, but this version seems nicer, so documenting it.

1. about 600g of shells (half prawn, half crayfish). 5 garlic cloves (diced). 1 medium onion (diced). 1 small leek (diced). sprigs of thyme. Brandy. Teaspoon of dried fennel. Tablespoon tomato paste. 1 cup of homemade tomato sauce. 1 lime leaf (Kaffir). 1 teaspoon gelatine. half teaspoon fermented fish sauce.
2. Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil and saute onions and leeks with the fennel until fragrant and almost translucent. Add in garlic and saute about a minute or two more.
3. Turn heat to high, put shells in pot. Saute until shells turn pink and there's a heady fragrance coming from the pot.
4. Add in tomato paste, stir it in and mix well. Saute for tomato paste to caramelise.
5. Pour in brandy - maybe a tablespoon or to taste.
6. Add in tomato sauce, thyme, fish sauce and lime leaf. Pour in enough water to cover the shells.
7. Bring to boil. Turn down heat, cover, and simmer for 40 mins.
8. Strain soup to remove solids.

To use the seafood soup as in pic, boil soup. When boiling, individually cook seafood till just done. Serve with soup separate, or pour warm (not boiling) soup back over seafood. Alternatively (and I'm going to try this next), use the seafood soup for a steamboat.