BARRY SAYS: I love seafood. Just about any kind, so any dish that combines several types of deliciousness from the sea is fine by me.
KELLEY SAYS: I don't totally agree, as there are some things I'm not fond of, but this is a wonderful dish with rich flavors, and you can pretty much choose whatever you want - or that you can find. I really wanted some squid, but I couldn't find any, and the recipe I based this on did not use crab claws, but I had some.
BARRY: It's amazing what you have tucked away in the freezer and cabinets. In any case, this seafood soup was delicious on a balmy December afternoon.
KELLEY: Yeah, it's a good, hearty, warm-you-up meal. Who knew it would be almost summerlike on the day we tried it. By the way, this is a version of cioppino, which is the classic Italian-American Christmas Eve meal.
BARRY: Would you say it was an easy meal to make?
KELLEY: Yes. I mean, all you do is cook the broth, then strain it, put the fish in and let it cook.
BARRY: I had no difficulty eating it.
This hearty seafood soup is rich in flavor and fairly adaptable as you can use several combinations of seafood items like crab, shrimp, mussels and squid, if you can find them.Seafood Soup
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, halved
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium celery rib with leaves, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 pound of shrimp, shelled and deveined (reserve 1/2 of the shells to make broth)
2 cups dry white wine, divided
1 can (28) ounces) plum tomatoes with juice, broken up with hand or a spoon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups water
2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon fish base
1 8 ounce clam juice
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon Cavender's Greek Seasoning
1 large piece of cod
1 bag of mussels in shell, cleaned and debearded
1/2 pound Bay scallops
10 Jonah crab claws
Parsley and lemon zest for garnish
Saute olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, onion, celery, carrot, parsley and shrimp shells in a pan for about 10 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups wine, and cook for 10 more minutes.
Combine tomatoes, salt and pepper, water, fish base and clam juice, and add to broth. Cook for 45 minutes.
In a large colander, strain broth into large bowl, and discard the remnants. (I did it about a cupful at a time to avoid making a mess.)
Return broth to pot and add remaining 1/2 cup white wine and Greek seasoning.
Heat broth to a boil, and add cod and mussels first. Reduce heat to a simmer, and add shrimp, scallops and crab claws. Cook until firm, but not overcooked.
Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon zest. Serve with garlic toast. Serves 4 people.
Contact Barry and Kelley Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
This hearty seafood soup is rich in flavor and fairly adaptable as you can use several combinations of seafood items like crab, shrimp, mussels and squid, if you can find them.