Quick and Easy Cioppino

Name: Quick and Easy Cioppino
Ingredients: 1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded and bulb cut lengthwise into 6 wedges; 1 medium onion, quartered; 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California; 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme; 1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes; 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in juice; 1 1/2 cups water; 1 cup full-bodied red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah; 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice; 1 pound skinless fillets of thick white-fleshed fish such as halibut, hake, or pollack, cut into 2-inch chunks; 1 pound cultivated mussels