Cioppino

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup onion – finely chopped
• 1 cup fennel bulb – finely chopped
• 0.5 cup celery – finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic – minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes – crushed by hand with juices
• 32 ounces bottled clam juice
• 2 leaves bay leaves
• 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp kosher salt – plus more to taste
• 0.5 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
• 1 pounds littleneck clams – scrubbed
• 1 pounds mussels – scrubbed and debearded
• 1 pounds white fish fillets – cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pounds large shrimp – peeled and deveined
• 1.5 pounds Dungeness crab sections – cooked, cleaned, and cracked
• 0.25 cup flat-leaf parsley – chopped
• sourdough bread – toasted (for serving)

Instructions

1. Scrub the clams and mussels under cold running water; debeard the mussels. Pat the fish dry and cut into 2-inch pieces. Peel and devein the shrimp. If needed, crack and clean the crab sections. Finely chop the onion, fennel, and celery; mince the garlic; crush the canned tomatoes by hand; chop the parsley.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly translucent, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the red pepper flakes and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste darkens slightly and smells sweet, 2–3 minutes.
4. Pour in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by about half, 3–4 minutes.
5. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juices, clam juice, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes to meld flavors; taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Add the clams, cover, and simmer until they begin to open, 5–7 minutes. Add the mussels, cover, and cook until most shells open, 3–4 minutes. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open.
7. Nestle in the fish and shrimp. Maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the fish is opaque and flakes easily and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 3–5 minutes. Add the crab sections and simmer until heated through, 2–3 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
8. Stir in the parsley. Ladle the cioppino into warm bowls and serve hot with toasted sourdough bread.