Cioppino

Ingredients

• For the broth
• 60 ml olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 400 g crushed tomatoes, tinned
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 750 ml fish stock
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 10 g fresh basil, leaves torn
• For the seafood
• 1 whole Dungeness crab, cracked into pieces
• 500 g clams, scrubbed
• 500 g mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 400 g shrimp, head-on preferred
• 300 g squid, cleaned and cut into rings
• 300 g firm white fish, snapper, halibut, or cod; cut into large pieces
• To serve
• 1 loaf crusty sourdough bread, sliced

Method

1. 1
   Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not coloured — the oil should smell of garlic throughout the kitchen.
2. 2
   Add the crushed tomatoes, dry white wine, and fish stock. Stir in the oregano. Bring to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. The broth must remain thin and aromatic — the wine and stock should be clearly detectable alongside the tomato. If the broth thickens toward a sauce consistency, add more stock. This is a broth with seafood, not a chowder, and this is where the dish lives or dies.
3. 3
   Add the cracked Dungeness crab pieces and the scrubbed clams to the broth. Cover the pot and cook until the clams have begun to open — check after 5 minutes; discard any that remain shut after 8 minutes.
4. 4
   Add the squid rings and the firm white fish. Stir gently once to submerge. Cook, covered, until the fish is just opaque throughout — press a piece lightly; it should yield and flake at the centre.
5. 5
   Add the mussels and shrimp. Cover and cook until the mussels have opened and the shrimp are pink and curled — 3 to 4 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Scatter the torn basil over the surface.
6. 6
   Bring the pot to the table whole. Ladle into wide, deep bowls, ensuring each portion receives crab, clams, mussels, shrimp, squid, and fish. Set out shell bowls, extra napkins, and sliced sourdough for sopping the broth.