Cioppino with Lobster
This shellfish stew is a lovely way to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions (2 small)
1 cup chopped fennel (1/2 large bulb)
1 cup chopped carrot
½ cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups good white wine
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped
1 quart Knocean Lobster Stock
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
1 pound large Kings wild shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 pound halibut, cut in large chunks
1 pound lobster, or lobster tails
24 mussels, cleaned
24 littleneck clams
Toasted baguette slices, buttered and rubbed with garlic
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot, add the onions, fennel, carrot, celery, salt, and pepper, and sauté over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown.
Deglaze the pan with wine and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock and garlic to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Add the shrimp, halibut, lobster, mussels and clams and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes. The fish and shrimp should be cooked and the mussels opened. Discard any mussels that don't open.
Season to taste.
Serve ladled over 1 or 2 slices of toasted Tuscan bread.