Italian Seafood Soup

ZUPPA DI PESCE - ITALIAN SEAFOOD SOUP

Steps:

• Add mussels and clams to a large heavy-bottomed pot along with 750ml vegetable/fish stock. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, shaking pan occasionally until mussels and clams have opened up. Remove from heat. Strain and reserve the stock for the soup. Discard any unopened mussels and clams.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large cast-iron frying pan on medium-high heat. Cook fish and prawns for 1-2 minute until seared and starting to char. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In the same pan, cook tentacles for 30 seconds on high heat until just cooked. Remove and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat in a large wide pan. Add garlic and chilli. Sauté for a few seconds. Add onion and fennel. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onion is caramelized. Add the pinch of saffron. Mix well. Add wine to deglaze the pan and mix all the brown, sticky bits.
• Add Val Verde Passata, the reserved stock, oregano and lemon juice. Mix well. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes to develop flavours.
• Add the mussels, clams, fish, prawns, octopus/squid and mix well. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes until heated through.
• Remove from heat. Sprinkle with black pepper, garnish with parsley and fennel. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• Serve with crusty bread.

ITALIAN SEAFOOD SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil.
• Add onions, garlic, oregano and fennel.
• Sweat onions until tender.
• Add tomatoes, clam juice, wine and liquid from canned clams.
• Bring to stew consistency (about 15 minutes).
• Add shrimp, clams, and crab meat.
• Cook on medium heat about 2 minutes.
• Add basil, cayenne,and black pepper to taste.
• Simmer 2 more minutes.

ITALIAN SEAFOOD BOIL

Steps:

• Wrap the bay leaf, rosemary, and fennel seeds in a cheesecloth bag. Set the sachet aside. Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped fennel and shallots and saute until the fennel is tender, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes with their juices, the wine and fish broth. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the sachet. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 10 minutes.
• Add the clams to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams open, about 6-8 minutes (discard any clams that do not open). Using tongs, transfer the clams to a bowl. Repeat with the mussels. Add the potatoes to the cooking liquid and simmer until they are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the fish, shrimp, and corn. Simmer until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the corn is heated through, about 5 minutes. Return the clams and mussels to the soup. Stir in the parsley. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the Garlic Toasts with Red Pepper Aioli.
• Aioli:
• To make the garlic bread: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Drizzle the oil over the bread slices. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the bread is crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Immediately rub the garlic cloves over the hot toasts.
• To make the aioli: Finely chop the garlic in the food processor. Add the peppers and blend until almost smooth. Blend in the mayonnaise. With the machine running, blend in the oil. Season the aioli, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl. (The aioli can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Spread the aioli over the toasts and serve.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
• Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large stockpot, add onions, garlic and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.
• Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you add them). Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, water and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and crabmeat. Stir in fish, if desired. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams open. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread!

ITALIAN CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large braising pan over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in melted butter, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir chicken broth, diced tomatoes, wine, water, basil, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves with the onion and garlic. Place a cover on the braising pan and cook mixture at a simmer until the tomatoes are softened and the broth flavorful, about 30 minutes.
• Fold cod, shrimp, scallops, clams, and mussels into the broth mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, return cover to pan, and continue to simmer until the clams open, 5 to 7 minutes.

ITALIAN FISH SOUP

Steps:

• Thaw the fish fillets and shrimp, if frozen.
• Rinse fish and shrimp; pat dry with paper towels.
• Cut the fish into 1-inch pieces; halve the shrimp lengthwise.
• Chill.
• In a large saucepan combine the 3 cups water, tomatoes, carrots, celery, wine or water, onion bouillon, marjoram, orange peel, garlic, bay leaves, and hot pepper sauce.
• Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are nearly tender.
• Stir in tomato paste.
• Add fish and shrimp to saucepan.
• Bring mixture just to boiling; reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer about 5 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork and shrimp turn pink.
• Discard bay leaves.
• To serve, ladle into soup bowls.
• Place a slice of Italian bread on each serving.
• Serve immediately.

ITALIAN FISH SOUP

Steps:

• Make soup:
• Rinse squid under cold running water and pat dry. If squid are large, halve ring of tentacles, then cut longer tentacles crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Pull off flaps from squid bodies and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bodies crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings.
• Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear shrimp in 2 batches, turning over once, until golden but not cooked through, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
• Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano to pot and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add wine and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened clams after 8 minutes.) Stir in mussels and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened mussels after 6 minutes.)
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Add stock to pot along with remaining 4 cups water, tomatoes with juice, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• Make toasts while stock simmers:
• Arrange bread slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet, then drizzle with oil and season with salt. Bake, turning over once, until golden, about 10 minutes total. Transfer toasts to a rack to cool slightly, then rub lightly with cut sides of garlic and sprinkle with parsley.
• Finish soup:
• Add halibut to stock and cook at a bare simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in squid and reserved shellfish, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 minute. Stir in basil and parsley and serve immediately, with toasts alongside for dipping.