Sunday Dinner Cioppino with Alexander

Sunday dinners a Good Dinners Mrs Mellen Tradition in our family.  Today I made a Cioppino with the freshest fish on the market.  Living in New England we are fortunate to have fresh fish in every grocery store not to mention wonderful fish markets or my favorite in the nice weather buying right from the boats as they come into dock with their fresh catch. Sunday dinner is even more special with the addition of our grandson Alexander.  Only six months old, he can't eat my dinner yet but we exposed him to our family tradition early.

In his honor I've renamed this dish.

Alexander's Cioppino

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped

 2 large shallots, chopped
 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1 can(14.5 oz) petite cup diced tomatoes (I used Del Monte, no salt added)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
 2  cups fish stock or clam juice

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound clams, scrubbed
1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound scallops

1 pound halibut or salmon fillets, use a firm fish, cut into 2-inch chunks

1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

Directions

Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices and the remaining ingredients expect seafood, fish and parsley.  Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with salt and red pepper flakes. Turn off the heat, and stir in the Italian parsley.

Alexander