CIOPPINO

Notes: Serve with crusty sourdough bread and a crisp Sémillon or Chardonnay with good acidity. Prep and Cook Time: about 1 hour.


1 head fresh fennel (12 oz.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 cans (15 oz. each) diced tomatoes
2 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 dozen clams in shell (suitable for steaming; discard any that are not closed), well scrubbed
2 cooked Dungeness crabs (about 2 lb. each), cleaned and cracked
1 pound shrimp (24 to 30 per lb.), peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper

Trim off and discard tough stems and base of fennel head. Rinse fennel, core, and chop.
In a 6- to 8-quart pan over medium-high heat, stir fennel, oil, onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons parsley until onion is limp, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes (including juice), white wine, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and chile flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer on low heat until flavors are well blended, about 15 minutes.

Add clams and crab. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp, cover and simmer, until clams pop open, shrimp turn pink, and crab is hot, 6 to 9 minutes longer; remove seafood as it finishes cooking. Discard clams that do not open. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle broth and seafood into wide bowls. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.