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Lazy Man's Cioppino

  • Ingredients:

  • 1 large dungeness crab, about 2-1/2 pounds
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-1/2 tsp minced fresh basil (or 1/2 tsp dried)
  • 1-1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
  • 1-1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
  • 1 cup clam juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 12 small cherrystone clams
  • 1 lb halibut, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 pound raw medium size prawns
  • 1 pound scallops
  • 1/4 cup minced parsley
Cioppino IngredientsCioppino Cooking

1. Clean prawns and reserve shells. Clean crab, reserving main shell, and remove meat, leaving shells on the legs and claws. Put the crab shell, together with the prawn shells, into 3 cups of salted water and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve juices.

2. In a large soup kettle, sauté carrot, onions and celery in olive oil until limp. Add garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, tomato sauce, white wine and clam juice and simmer for 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Scrub clams well under cold running water with a stiff bristled brush. Discard any clams that are opened. Add clams and cut-up fish to the kettle. Add reserved juice from crab and prawn shells. Simmer for 10 minutes. Discard any clams that did not open.

4. Add prawns, scallops and crab to the kettle. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

5. Ladle fish and shellfish, along with some of the broth, into large bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with sourdough French bread and wine.

Cioppino Served