Zuppa di Pesce

I know I say a lot of dishes are my favorite but this is definitely up there for me. This fish soup is the perfect dish to make on a cold winter night, especially a snowy one! Don’t forget some fresh crusty bread for dipping, which is a MUST for the delicious spicy fish broth you’ll be left with at the bottom of the bowl.

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin

1 pound of medium sized shrimp

1 pound of vongole

1 pound of mussels

1 pound of cod

2 bay leaves

1 32 oz container of fish stock

2 bay leaves

2 shallots diced

1 1/2 cups white wine

1 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and red pepper to taste

Fresh parsley for garnishing

Directions

First, clean your shrimp and put it to the side

Soak you clams changing the water every 10 minutes of an hour

Scrub your mussels with a brush to get all of the sand off of them and pull the beards off

Discard any clams or mussels that are already open and do not close when you give them a pinch

Cut your cod into one inch piece

Take off the outside pieces of your fennel and discard and then slice it in half and cut the halves into thinly sliced pieces

In a large pot, add your oil, garlic, shallots, fennel, red pepper and some salt

Allow this to sauté for about 10-12 minutes

Next, add the tomato paste and mix so everything in the pot gets coated in it. Then add your can of whole peeled tomatoes by hand using your hand to crush the tomatoes before you add them to the pot

Add the white wine, fish stock and bay leaves

Cover and bring it to a boil on medium high heat

Remove the cover and give it a stir. Put the cover back on and put it on low heat and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes

Next, add the clams and mussels and put the cover back on and allow it to cook for 10-15 minutes. You will see the clams and mussels begin to open up

Take the cover off and add your shrimp and cod. Place the cover back on and allow it to cook for another 10-12 minutes until the shrimp turns an orange color and the cod looks flaky

At this point, taste the broth and add more salt and red pepper to your liking

Serve the soup immediately with some fresh bread and garnish the top with fresh parsley

Buon appetito!