Zuppa di Pesce ~ Italy

[Twitchin Kitten]

I found this recipe on the internet. It's as close to authentic as I can tell. This recipe serves 6-8 people.

Zuppa di Pesce
Italian Fish Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb cleaned squid, bodies and tentacles separated but kept intact
1/2 lb large shrimp, in shell peeled, leaving tail and first segment of shell intact, and deveined (21 to 25 per lb)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 cup dry white wine
4 1/2 cups water
12 small hard-shelled clams such as littleneck clams, scrubbed (less than 2 inches in diameter)
12 mussels, scrubbed and beards removed (preferably cultivated)
4 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice (32 fl oz)
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 lb skinless halibut fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Rinse squid under cold running water and pat dry.
If squid are large, halve ring of tentacles, then cut longer tentacles crosswise into 2-inch pieces.
Pull off flaps from squid bodies and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bodies crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings.

Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Heat oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear shrimp in 2 batches, turning over once, until golden but not cooked through, about 2 minutes per batch.
Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano to pot and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds.

Add wine and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened clams after 8 minutes.)
Stir in mussels and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened mussels after 6 minutes.)

Add stock to pot along with remaining 4 cups water, tomatoes with juice, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Add halibut to stock and cook at a bare simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Stir in squid and reserved shellfish, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 minute. Stir in basil and parsley and serve immediately.

Serve this with garlic bread toast - great for dunking in the soup!

[Angie]

mee no likey da squid

Would it be terrible to substitute some of the seafood that I don't like for some that I do like? Do you think it would change the taste much?

[Twitchin Kitten]

I dont' like squid either, nor octopus. I dont' see why chaning the recipe to the fish you like should change it so drastically.

The shellfish is what gives this it's flair though. When we get this at restaurants and gran used to make it, we would leave the shellfish in their shells. It gives it a bit of a 'grand' appearance when you bring a giant platter of this stuff out.

[Angie]

Got any pics of it?

[Twitchin Kitten]

Sorry, no. I never made this myself and have only ordered it out in restaurants or when my Gran made it eons ago. Sadly, the only thing she taught me to make was my sauce.

I loved her pasta e fagioli (pasta fazoole for those who don't know how to say that!) and she never 'got around' to giving me that recipe either before she died.

[Angie]

I'm gonna try and find a pic online somewhere. I like to see the dish so I know what it should look like