Cioppino

Cioppino is a delicious Italian-American seafood stew that typically features an assortment of shellfish and fish. I went a little heavier on the fish in this recipe just to mix it up a bit.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mixed fish fillets (cod, halibut, sea bass, or snapper), cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 1 pound clams, cleaned
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups fish stock, shrimp stock  or clam juice (or any combination)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Crab claws (if you can find ’em and if you want ’em)

Preparation

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the parsley, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and cook for another minute.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, fish or chicken stock, and white wine to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the fish fillets to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the shrimp, mussels, and clams to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through and the mussels and clams have opened.
6. Season the cioppino with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve the cioppino hot with crusty bread for dipping.