ON FOOD: Waiter, there’s a fish in my soup: Global takes on seafood stew have chefs bowled over

Cuisines from around the world—especially French, Italian, Japanese and Southeast Asian—have long featured traditional versions of fish soups, and now U.S. operations are experimenting with various new signature versions.

Malaysian assam laksa, a sour-and-spicy fish soup with rice noodles, is one of the showstoppers at Fatty Crab in New York. A simple fish soup is served at Café Soleil in