Cioppino

You'll need to be an adventurous eater and a seafood lover to try this. I first tried Cioppino about 5 years ago. Tom and I were at a Machine Gun Shoot week-end and a man from New York who worked the fish docks brought a slew of fresh seafood and made a huge batch for everyone. He served it over rice to make it more filling and his had a thicker broth. This recipe is lighter and I've added some heat to it. Tweak it the way you want to depending on what seafoods you like best. I used crawfish because it's cheaper than lobster and it sold already cooked in Cajun spices to add a bit of kick to the dish. I've had a seafood soup in Mexico that had squid in it so the skies the limit. ( mussels and crab go in shell and all)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup "Move over Butter"
8 green onions , chopped
2 cloves of garlic , minced
1 bunch of Italian parsley , chopped
2 carrots , shredded
2 stalks celery , diced
28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
1 large tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup clam juice
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 1/2 cups scallops
18 mussels
3 pounds crawfish
1 1/2 pounds dungeon crab legs
1 can clams
1 pound shrimp


Directions:
1. Over medium heat melt butter in a large pot. Add onion , garlic, parsley, celery and carrots. Cook until tender.

2. Add tomatoes to pot. Add chicken broth , spices , water , clam juice, lemon juice and wine. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Stir in seafood and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until mussels open. Ladle into bowls and serve with Italian crusty bread or sourdough.


(picture image was found online , used to give you an idea of what your finished product may look like)