Cioppino - Phase I
 

I made the following recipe (adapted from epicurious.com) for a friend's birthday. Everyone raved. alterations: no mussels or clams, substituted more shrimp and two lobster tails chopped up into 4 smaller pieces each. served with 2 small sourdough baguette garlic crostini (with more on the side for non SBD'ers - I know sourdough bread is not OK on phase II, but since it was a special occasion, my hubby and i just did 2 small pieces.) Sourdough bread is listed as good in the GFGC Guide so is OK for Phase II. Large salad and dessert was chocolate covered strawberries with a small scoop of Breyers no sugar added vanilla (if you haven't tried it, and are on phase 2, DO! It's excellent. couldn't tell it was no-sugar). dinner was a hit!

4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 Turkish bay leaf or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 (28- to 32-oz) can whole plum tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 (1-lb) king crab leg, thawed if frozen
18 small (2-inch) hard-shelled clams (1 1/2 lb) such as littlenecks, scrubbed
1 lb skinless red snapper or halibut fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 lb large shrimp (16 to 20), shelled (tails and bottom segment of shells left intact) and deveined
3/4 lb sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Garnish: shredded fresh basil leaves and small whole leaves
Accompaniment: focaccia or sourdough bread

Cook garlic, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in oil in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, clam juice, and broth and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

While stew is simmering, hack crab leg through shell into 2- to 3-inch pieces with a large heavy knife. Add crab pieces and clams to stew and simmer, covered, until clams just open, 5 to 10 minutes, checking every minute after 5 minutes and transferring opened clams to a bowl with tongs or a slotted spoon. (Discard any unopened clams after 10 minutes.) Lightly season fish fillets, shrimp, and scallops with salt and add to stew, then simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf, then return clams to pot and gently stir in parsley and basil.

Serve cioppino immediately in large soup bowls.

Cooks' note:
• The stew — without seafood — can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered. Bring to a simmer before adding seafood.

Makes 6 servings.

Looks good! Sourdough bread is a good choice as a carb on Phase II.

Thanks, Ruth! It was yummy-

BTW, the Breyers ice cream is probably a once-in a while treat (I'd probably limit to no more than 2x during a week). 4.5 gr fat, 2.5 sat, 3 g protein. In comparison with Ricotta, 3/2 and more protein, the wiser choice would be the ricotta cream, but the ice cream was sure nice!

I stood in front of the fish counter on Fri and suddenly remembered this recipe. I went for it, cut the recipe in half, and it was super good. We just finished the last of it today. Thanks kpw!

Glad you liked it!! I've made it since and just grabbed whatever looked the freshest at the fish counter. Man do I love mussels, and I used to eat them with a huge loaf of sourdough bread to soak up the sauce. Now that I'm on SBD, I was hesitant to eat a lot of them because I was afraid of slipping into the bread-dousing mode. But now, I find that when I make the, I don't miss the bread, and if I order them, I just tell the waiter/ress to hold the bread and I don't miss it now.

Bi-valves are goooooood..