Seafood Cioppino

Fish Stock

1 pound fish bones or carcass

3 celery stalks rough cut

1 carrot cut into chunks

1 yellow onion, chunked

1 fennel bulb, small, chopped

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs thyme, fresh

1 C wine, dry, white

6 C clam juice (bottled is fine)

6 C water

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Saute the vegetables until soft around 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer for one hour.

3. Strain and set aside to cool.

Cioppino Base

1/4 C olive oil

1 small onion, yellow, chopped

1 small fennel bulb, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

10 cloves garlic, minced

4 sprigs parsley, Italian, flat-leaf

4 sprigs oregano

1 t peppercorns, whole, black

1 pinch, red pepper, dried, flakes

2 bay leaves

1/2 bottle wine, dry, white

10 C tomatoes, San Marzano, pureed

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat and add the onion, fennel, and celery. Stir and saute until vegetables start to soften around 3 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs, and spices to the pot and cook for one minute more.

2. Add the white wine to the pot, stirring well, and bring to another boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds. Add the tomato puree to the pot and mix well.

3. Add the tomato puree and fish stock to the pot, and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Strain when done into a large pot big enough to assemble your cioppino.

Seafood Cioppino

1 dozen mussels, black, debearded and scrubbed

1 dozen clams, little-neck, cleaned and scrubbed

1 pound shrimp, (21-25), peeled, deveined

1 1/2 pounds halibut, fileted, skinned

3 Dungeness crabs, legs and body cleaned, sectioned

Cioppino base

Italian parsley (optional garnish)

Grilled lemon halves (optional garnish)

1. In a large pot, heat the cioppino base to a simmer.

2. Add the sectioned crab, the clams, and the mussels to the pot and stir well. Add the halibut pieces ensuring they’re submerged in the liquid. Cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the shrimp, stir, and cover. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Serve in large shallow bowls with toasted sourdough bread and grilled onion halves. Sprinkle with fresh, chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley or red pepper flakes, if desired.