Cioppino by Giada De Laurentiis

• olive oil↗3 tablespoons
• large fennel bulb, thinly sliced↗1
• onion, chopped↗1
• large shallots, chopped↗3
• salt↗2 teaspoons
• large garlic cloves, finely chopped↗4
• dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste↗3⁄4 teaspoon
• tomato paste↗1⁄4 cup
• (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice↗1
• dry white wine↗1 1⁄2 cups
• fish stock↗5 cups
• bay leaf↗1
• lb manila clams, scrubbed↗1 lb
• lb mussels, scrubbed, debearded↗1 lb
• lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined↗1 lb
• lbs halibut fillets (assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets) or 1 1/2 lbs salmon fillets, cut into 2-inch chunks (assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets)↗1 1⁄2

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Remove bay leaf. Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.

5. 5

   Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.