1/2 c. (1/4 lb.) butter or
margarine or olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic
1 c. lightly packed, chopped
fresh parsley
2 large cans (1 lb. 12 oz.
each) tomatoes
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each)
regular-strength chicken
broth
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. dry basil
1/2 tsp. each thyme leaves and
oregano leaves
1 c. water
1 1/2 c. dry white wine
1 1/2 lb. large raw shrimp in
shells or boneless,
skinless chunks of rock
fish or ling cod
2 large Dungeness crabs (about
4 lb. total), live, cleaned
and cracked (have this done
at your market)
1 1/2 lb. scallops
In a 6 to 8 quart kettle over medium heat, melt butter.
Add onions, garlic and parsley; cook, stirring until onions are
soft. Add tomatoes (break up with a spoon) and their liquid,
along with broth, bay leaf, basil, thyme, oregano, water and
wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat; cover and simmer for
about 30 minutes.
Devein shrimp in this manner; insert a small metal or
wooden skewer along the back of each shrimp (in shell), beneath
the vein. Gently pull skewer to surface, drawing out vein;
repeat as often as necessary to remove entire vein. Set shrimp
aside.
Add crab to simmering sauce and cook, covered, for 10
minutes. Add shrimp and scallops and return stew to simmering,
then cover and simmer until scallops are opaque throughout (5
to 7 minutes more).
Serve stew from the kettle or from a tureen into large
soup bowls; also have available a large bowl to hold shells as
they're emptied. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Cooked Crab Cioppino. Prepare recipe as directed, but
use whole, cooked, cleaned and cracked crab (thaw, if frozen)
instead of live crab; add to sauce along with the shrimp.