Cioppino Recipe - Italian Fish Stew

This one is a real family favorite. Cioppino - Italian fish soup or stew - is perfect on a cool autumn night. Some recipes call for fish stock in place of the water, but I find that just cooking the fish, shrimp and shellfish as directed below gives more than enough flavor.

You can make your own fish stock if you save the shells off the shrimp and have about a pound of fish heads and bones. (You can buy the whole fish and have them cut off the fillets for you and wrap up the heads and bones separately.) Just boil the shells and bones for about 20 minutes to a half hour - it doesn't take as long as beef or chicken. Skim any scum off the top and then strain through a cheesecloth, kitchen paper or even a coffee filter.

I never do this, it's a lot more work and we don't miss it. Others swear by fish stock, so I leave that up to you.

3 Tbsp olive oil.
1 medium onion, chopped.
1 carrot, chopped.
1 stalk of celery, chopped.
2 cloves garlic, chopped.
14 oz can of diced tomatoes.
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme.
4 cups water.
1-1/2 lbs mussels, scrubbed.
1 lb small clams, scrubbed.
1 cup white wine.
2 lbs mixed fish fillets cut into chunks - such as cod, snapper, monkfish or hake.
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled.
3 Tbsp chopped parsley.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Slices of toasted Italian bread, to serve.

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and slowly cook the onion until it is soft. Add carrot and celery and cook slowly for 5 more minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, thyme and 1 cup of water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Puree in a food processor and return to pan. Add the rest of the water and season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Put mussels and clams in a pan with the wine. Cover and steam until all the shells have opened. (Discard any that do not open.) Remove the shellfish and strain the liquid and add to the tomato sauce.

3. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add the fish and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 or 4 minutes more. Stir in the mussels and clams and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Check to see if the stew needs more salt or pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with toasted slices of Italian bread.

There are several ways to vary this. Use whatever firm, meaty fish you can get your hands on - even if it is only one variety. If you can't get a suitable fresh fish, you can use frozen. If you can't find fresh clams and mussels, you can try scallops - they won't have the shells, but they are actually easier to use. Just steam them briefly in the wine in step 2. Just use what you can get and your family will still probably love it.