Savory Seafood Stew

Name: Savory Seafood Stew
Yield: makes 6 generous servings
Ingredients: 2 quarts water; One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) and their liquid; 1 1/2 cups dry white wine; 2 small leeks, white parts only, trimmed, cleaned, and cut into 3-inch lengths (about 2 cups) (page 80); 2 medium carrots, trimmed and sliced thick; 1 large onion, cut into thick slices; 10 sprigs fresh thyme; Zest of 1/2 lemon, removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler; 1/2 teaspoon loosely packed saffron threads; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; Salt; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 8 cloves garlic, peeled; 2 small leeks, white parts only, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced 1/2 inch thick (about 2 cups) (page 80); 1 large onion, sliced thin; 4 medium calamari (about 1 1/4 pounds), cleaned according to directions on page 40, tentacles left whole, bodies cut crosswise into 1/2-inch rings; 18 medium sea scallops (about 1/2 pound); 8 ounces fresh firm-textured fish fillets, such as salmon, snapper, or swordfish, skin removed, cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 cups Braised Cannellini (page 349), optional; 24 mussels, preferably cultivated, cleaned; 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1/2 pound); 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley; Salt; Freshly ground black pepper; Pan-Fried Garlic Bread (page 53) or crusty Italian bread

December 9, 2011

The traditional zuppa di pesce that you most likely encountered in Italian-American restaurants was based on garlic and tomato sauce, which was simmered along with assorted fish to make a savory dish. Sometimes the sauce was used to dress pasta, and the shellfish and fin fish would be enjoyed as a second course. This version is more in a brodetto style, lighter and clearer than the traditional version, with saffron as a flavoring ingredient. This kind of preparation can be found with slight variations along the entire coast of Italy from Liguria to the Adriatic coast to the heel, Puglia, and the island of Sicily. I have given you the recipe with fish fillets, although traditionally zuppa di pesce is made with slices of whole fish with bones and skin intact. But it is tricky to eat that way, even though the flavor is more complex.

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