Smoked Salmon Cioppino

Ingredients:

16oz Alaska Smokehouse Smoked Salmon, skin removed and flaked

12 little neck clams, scrubbed and debearded

1/2 b mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1/2lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 large sea scallops

1 medium sweet onion, diced

1 small bulb of fennel, cored and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 28oz can of petite diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

2 cups clam juice

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/3 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Procedure:

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium high heat.

Add diced onion and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender for about 8 minutes.

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

Stir in wine and deglaze the pan by scraping up any of the fond that's formed in the bottom of the pan.

Add in diced tomatoes, stock, clam juice, and the bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until flavors have blended.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in clams and mussels and 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 smoked salmon, shrimp, and scallops.  Simmer until shrimp and scallops are just cooked through and clams and mussels have opened completely, about 3-4 more minutes.  Discard any unopened clams or mussels.

Stir in diced parsley and season again with more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with crusty bread or over rice or pasta like orzo or couscous.

Suggestions:

If serving over rice, start the rice just before you start the cioppino and cook according to your preference.  Put the rice into a bowl first, then ladle the stew over the pasta.

If serving over pasta, start heating the water for the orzo or couscous at the same time you add in the diced tomatoes to your cioppino.  Cook the pasta according to your preference, then drain the pasta and set aside.  Put the pasta into a bowl first, then ladle the stew over the pasta.

For the stock, you can use either vegetable, chicken, or fish stock.  We recommend using Vegetable or Chicken as some fish stocks can have odd flavor profiles.

For the white wine, we recommend using a wine like a pinot grigio/pinot gris or a chardonnay.  You can substitute an equal amount of stock if wine is not desired.

To clean the clams and mussels, we recommend running them under cold water and scrubbing them with a gentle brush to start.  All of the clams or mussels should be closed and not feel cracked or hollow.  Most clams and mussels you buy from the store should already be cleaned and debearded, but if not, you remove the short brown strings that sprout from the shell with your fingers.

We recommend that you thaw any frozen seafood prior to cooking.  To do that, we suggest you transfer them to the refrigerator from the freezer the night before.

To store leftovers, remove any of the shells from the cioppino before storing.  Leftovers can be eaten 1-2 days after cooking if properly stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.