Cioppino

Steam mollusks (clams and mussels) in a small amount of water (about two cups) until they just open. Strain and set aside.

Remove the crab legs from the body and use a nutcracker to crack the shells so the meat can be easily removed when eating. Break the body in half, and then cut each half again into either halves or thirds. You can opt to keep the crab meat in the body segments and serve it that way (more work for the eater) or you can pick out the crab meat from the body segments. If you pick out the crab meat, try to keep it in big chunks.

Split the shrimp shells down the back and remove the black vein. The easiest way to do this without removing the shell, is to lay the shrimp on its side and insert a small knife into the large end of the shrimp, with the blade pointing outward from the back (away from the shrimp and your hands). Once you have split the shrimp shells, you can turn the knife toward the shrimp, and cut in a little to find the black vein. Pull out the vein as much as you can. You can probably also use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the backs of the shrimp.

In a deep, 8-quart pot, sauté onions and bell pepper on medium heat in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic, and sauté a minute more. Shred (squish) tomatoes with your hands and add to the pot along with the juice from the can. Add broth from the mollusks, red wine, tomato juice, fish or shellfish stock, the herb bouquet, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove herb bouquet. Taste and adjust seasoning to suit your tastes.

Add the fish and cook, covered, until the fish is just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the steamed mollusks, crab meat, and shrimp. Heat just until shrimp are cooked (just 2 to 3 minutes, until they are bright pink). Do not overcook.

Ladle into large bowls, shells included. Sprinkle with minced fresh parsley. Serve with crusty French or Italian bread and a robust red wine like Zinfandel or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Have plenty of napkins available, a few extra bowls for the shells, and nut crackers. If you left the shells on, have some tiny forks, too. Did you love this recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!