Cioppino (American Italian Style Seafood Stew)

Prepare the Seafood:

1. Clams and mussels: scrub the shells, de-beard the mussels by pulling the "beards" towards the back of the shell, and place them in a bowl of water (you can add salt if you like, or not) for 20 minutes.
2. Scallops: brine the scallops for about 10 minutes (1.5 Tbsp Kosher salt in 8 oz of water). Afterwards, place them on a rack to dry.
3. Shrimp: although some cioppini are made with the whole shrimp, I prefer to remove the shells (devein them if they haven't been cleaned) and just leave on the tail.
4. Fish: slice into medium sized pieces.
5. Crab: put the amount of lump crab meat you'll be using in a bowl and set aside. 

Prepare the Cioppino Base:

1. Have all of your ingredients chopped and ready to use. Put the extra virgin olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. I used this Staub braiser. When hot, add the garlic, onion and red pepper; add salt.
2. Sauté for about 3 minutes, then add the chopped celery leaf.
3. If you cannot source celery leaves, add a little chopped celery and Italian parsley, instead.
4. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. Next, add the white wine.
5. When the mixture is simmering, add the tomato puree or chopped tomatoes. Be sure to use good quality tomatoes; this is so important! You don't want to ruin all your beautiful, fresh seafood with acidic, and bitter tasting tomatoes.
6. Lastly, add the stock, or water. The amount of salt you add will vary depending on if you used stock (which already has salt) or water. If using water, add at least a teaspoon of Kosher or sea salt. Simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Cook the Seafood:

1. Start by adding the clams as they take the longest to cook. After adding the clams, put the lid onto the pot and set a timer for 5 minutes.
2. When the timer is up, add the mussels and pieces of fish, sprinkle the pieces of fish with a little salt and put the lid on again. Set the timer for another 3 minutes.
3. When the timer sounds, add the shrimp and scallops and cook with the lid on for a few more minutes, until all the seafood is cooked and shellfish are open. Taste for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper.
4. You can top the cioppino with the crab meat at this point, and put the lid on to warm it. Finish the dish with chopped parsley.