Cioppino

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups onions, chopped (about 1 onion)
• 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 pepper)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
• 8 -10 garlic cloves, chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (750 ml) bottle red wine (fruity, not dry)
• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 lbs sea bass, cut into large chunks (or other firm, meaty fish such as shark, yellowtail, monkfish)
• 1 lb cod, diced into large chunks (or other delicate, flaky fish, such as snapper)
• 3/4 lb shrimp, shell on
• 1 1/4-1 1/2 lbs crabmeat, cooked and cleaned
• 1 lb littleneck clams (or a mixture of both) or 1 lb mussels (or a mixture of both)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Recipe

• 1 heat olive oil in a medium saucepan, over medium heat; add onion and bell pepper and cook, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• 2 add crushed red pepper flakes, fennel, and half the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• 3 stir in tomato paste and cook 3 minutes; add in the red wine and simmer until reduced by a third, about 20 minutes.
• 4 add the crushed tomatoes, salt, bay leaf, oregano, and pepper; simmer on low until the sauce is darkened to a brick read, about 45 minutes (you'll have about 6 cups).
• 5 meanwhile, cut the fish into bite-sized chunks (keeping separate); season both types of fish, as well as the shrimp, with chopped garlic and a little salt, then cover and refrigerate.
• 6 in a large, tall saucepan, or stockpot, arrange the fish according to how long they will need to cook; first ladle in a thin layer of sauce, arrange crabmeat in a layer.
• 7 next, stack the meaty fish, then the flaky fish on top of that; lastly is the shrimp with the clams and/or mussels on top.
• 8 pour remaining sauce over the fish and shake pot to distribute the sauce; cover and cook over medium heat until the shells open, about 20 minutes (you should shake the pan a few times during cooking, but do not stir to avoid breaking up the fish too much).
• 9 once the shells open, taste for salt, then gently stir in the chopped parsley; ladle into serving bowls.