Made this today for an afternoon birthday party. I doubled the recipe & used a 12-Quart stockpot...was a little worried the pot wasn't large enough but it turned out to be the perfect size. Served with homemade bread, salad with homemade Green Goddess dressing & oven roasted plum tomato halves that I'd just drizzled with olive oil with a little S/P. Nice fun meal...rustic casual but still 'special'. We gobbled it up! Dessert was homemade chocolate shortcake with fresh strawberries & basalmic vinegar topped with whipped cream.

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CIOPPINO (Cook in 8 Quart Stockpot)

¼ Cup Olive Oil

2 Onions, Chopped Small

4 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 Teaspoon Oregano

1-1/2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1-1/2 Cups Red Wine (I used 1 Cup Chicken Broth

1 Cup Fish Stock

1 28 Ounce Can of Whole Plum Tomatoes, juice reserved

12 Clams Quahog Clams

¾ Pound Shrimp, Peeled, De-veined but with the tail left on

1 Pound Sea Scallops

1-1/2 Pounds Alaskan King Crab, in shell & Cut into 2"-3" Pieces

1 Pound Snapper, Cut Into 2" Pieces

Basil, One Good-Sized Bunch, cut into a Chiffinade

Lemon Slices, Garnish

In the olive oil, sauté the onions with the oregano, salt, pepper, & red pepper flakes for about 5 minutes or until onions are nicely wilted. Add garlic & sauté another minute. Then, stir in the tomato paste. Add the red wine & simmer until reduced by about half (about 5-7 minutes over medium heat).

Add the chicken broth, fish stock, & tomatoes plus the reserved juices. Crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 30 minutes. After simmering, the broth may be refrigerated & reheated to continue finishing the dish & cooking the seafood.

Bring the broth to a strong simmer & add the crab and clams. Cover & cook for 5-10 minutes. After 5 minutes start checking to see if the clams have opened. Discard any clams that haven't opened after 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of simmering, remove the clams & crab with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Put the shrimp, scallops, & snapper into the broth, cover & simmer for about 5 minutes. Return crab & clams to the stock pot, stir & simmer for another 2 minutes.

Pour into large serving bowl & top with the basil chiffinade. Garnish with the lemon slices. Serve with warm sourdough bread.

/tricia