Easy Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Buttery fennel and caramelized onions form the aromatic base for this Italian-American seafood stew, while tomato paste and white wine create a rich, briny broth. Fresh garlic and red pepper flakes add depth and subtle heat that let the seafood shine through. Make this when you want to impress without spending all evening in the kitchen—it's elegant enough for company yet simple enough for weeknight seafood cravings.

Ingredients

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium sweet onion, diced

1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 (28-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups clam juice

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

12 littleneck clams, scrubbed

1/2 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1 lb cod or halibut fillets, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 large sea scallops

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in wine, diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, clam juice, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors have blended, about 15 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Stir in clams and mussels. Reduce heat to low; cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until the clams and mussels are just beginning to open, about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in cod or halibut, shrimp, and scallops. Reduce heat and simmer until cod or halibut, shrimp, and scallops are just cooked through and clams and mussels have opened completely, about 3-4 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.

Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.