Cioppino

Name: Cioppino
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 fennel bulb, diced, fronds saved; 1 yellow onion, diced; 6 garlic cloves, sliced; ½ tsp red pepper flakes; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp dried oregano; 2 bay leaves; 1½ cups dry white wine; 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand; 3 cups seafood stock or bottled clam juice; ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1 lb littleneck clams, scrubbed; 1 lb halibut or cod, in 2-inch chunks; 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on; 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded; ½ cup parsley, chopped; 1 lemon, in wedges; 1 loaf sourdough, thick slices; 2 tbsp olive oil, for the toast; 1 garlic clove, halved, for the toast

San Francisco fisherman's stew: clams, mussels, shrimp and halibut cooked in a tomato, fennel and white wine broth with a little chile. Garlic toast for the bowl.

Add the seafood in order of how long it takes, and stop stirring once the fish goes in. Clams first, then fish and shrimp, mussels last. From there, shake the pot instead of using a spoon, or the halibut breaks into shreds.

Ingredients

Broth
3 tbsp olive oil
1 fennel bulb, diced, fronds saved
1 yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1½ cups dry white wine
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
3 cups seafood stock or bottled clam juice
½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
Seafood
1 lb littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 lb halibut or cod, in 2-inch chunks
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
To finish
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 lemon, in wedges
1 loaf sourdough, thick slices
2 tbsp olive oil, for the toast
1 garlic clove, halved, for the toast

Method

Warm the oil in a wide 7-quart Dutch oven over medium. Cook the fennel and onion with a pinch of salt until soft and sweet, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, oregano and bay leaves and cook until the paste darkens, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the wine and boil until it reduces by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and salt and simmer uncovered until the broth tastes rich and the fennel is very tender, about 20 minutes.
Taste the broth now. Clam juice is salty, so it may need nothing. Pull the bay leaves.
Bring the broth to a lively simmer, add the clams, cover and cook 4 minutes.
Nestle in the fish and shrimp, then lay the mussels on top. Cover and cook, shaking the pot once, until the mussels and clams open and the shrimp is pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Throw out any shells that stay shut.
While the seafood cooks, brush the bread with oil and toast it under the broiler or in a hot skillet until browned, about 2 minutes a side. Rub the hot toast with the cut garlic.
Ladle into wide bowls with plenty of broth. Top with parsley and chopped fennel fronds. Serve with lemon wedges, the garlic toast, and a bowl for the shells.