Name: Cioppino (San Franciscan seafood stew)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion finely chopped; 1 garlic clove chopped; 1 small fennel bulb finely chopped; 2 Romano peppers chopped; 250ml white wine (choose a light, fruity variety such as vinho verde), plus a splash; 400g tin of finely chopped tomatoes; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 300ml very light chicken stock; 1 tsp dried oregano; 2 bay leaves; 750g mussels cleaned; 300g firm white fish (such as cod or hake) cut into chunks; 12 raw shell-on prawns; 200g scallops halved if large; good handful of parsley chopped; sourdough baguette and butter to serve

A seafood stew with mussels in a black pan

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
finely chopped
1 garlic clove
chopped
1 small fennel bulb
finely chopped
2 Romano peppers
chopped
250ml white wine
(choose a light, fruity variety such as vinho verde), plus a splash
400g tin of finely chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
300ml very light chicken stock
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
750g mussels
cleaned
300g firm white fish (such as cod or hake)
cut into chunks
12 raw shell-on prawns
200g scallops
halved if large
good handful of parsley
chopped
sourdough baguette and butter
to serve

Method

step 1
Heat the oil in a large wide pan. Gently cook the onion, garlic and fennel with a good pinch of salt for 10 mins until softened but not coloured. Add the peppers and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the wine and simmer for 5 mins. Tip in the tomatoes, purée, stock and herbs. Cover and simmer for 20 mins.
step 2
Meanwhile, heat a separate pan and tip in the mussels with a splash of wine. Put on a lid then shake over a medium heat until all the mussels are open. Scoop out the mussels into a dish, keep the cooking liquid.
step 3
To finish the stew, add the fish, prawns and scallops to the cooking liquid, and gently simmer with a lid on for 3-4 mins or until the fish is cooked and the prawns are pink. Add back the mussels with their cooking liquor (leaving behind any grit) for 1 min to heat through then taste and season if needed. Stir in the parsley and serve in bowls with lots of buttered bread for dunking.