Fish and Seafood Soup

Zuppa di Pesce Recipe

Zuppa di pesce (fish and seafood soup) is a popular dish in the Tuscan coast of Italy. This scrumptious stew is hearty and bursting with flavor. It’s also versatile — you can use a variety of fish and seafood — and so easy to make.

Ingredients

4 pounds fish and shellfish (clams, mussels, scallops, monkfish, cod, striped bass, haddock, snapper, shrimp, squid, in any combination)
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium bulb fennel, sliced thinly
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Rustic country bread or baguette

Preparation

For fish fillets and scallops: Pat dry. Cut the fillets into large chunks. Season with salt.
For whole fish: Clean. Remove the heads, tails, and skin. Cut into thick slices.
For clams and mussels: Scrub clean. Debeard the mussels.
Throw away any shellfish that don’t close to the touch.
For squid: Slice the body into 1-inch rings. Cut up the tentacles into bite-size pieces.
Keep all the seafood, except the fish and scallops, in a bowl filled with salted cold water. Set aside.
Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large saucepan. Set the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot but not smoking, sear the fish on all sides.
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Transfer the fish to a plate. Next, sear the scallops, cooking each side for about a minute. Transfer them to the plate with the fish.
Add more olive oil to the same pan. Over medium heat, sauté the onions and the fennel until they soften and are fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Raise the heat and add the red pepper flakes. Deglaze the pan with dry white wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan, mixing the stuck bits into the broth.
Let the wine bubble and evaporate for about 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil then let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the sea
Let simmer for about 5 more minutes. Begin adding the rest of the seafood, starting with the shrimp and ending with the shellfish.
Simmer until the shrimp are almost cooked through and the clams are almost open, roughly 5-10 minutes.
Return the scallops to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through and the shellfish have all opened.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add red pepper flakes if needed.
Ladle the seafood stew into bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Drizzle with some good olive oil. Serve with bread that has been toasted and rubbed with garlic.