Zuppa De Pesche

1/3 cup of olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup of good white wine (I use Cavit “Pinot Grigio”) or your favorite
2 32-oz cans of plum (San Marzano) tomatoes, pulsed in a blender, do not over blend.
1 28-oz can of tomato puree
1 cup (approximately) of fish broth (home made)
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
4 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper  
12 small clams (Little Necks), scrubbed & soaked in cool water 30 minutes
12 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
½ lb of scallops
¾  lb medium calamari, cleaned and cut into slices or rings
10-12 large whole shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a large heavy pot (6-quart), sauté onions, pepper flakes, garlic, shallots and tomato paste in olive oil.  Sauté 5-8 minutes on medium heat just to release the flavors.  Do not brown.  Add about 1 cup of wine to the pot.  Cook on medium heat and reduce to about half (8 minutes).

Add crushed tomatoes, puree and fish broth to make a slightly thick sauce.  Add the thyme, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for 40 minutes or until the sauce has reached a slightly thick consistency (it should not be runny or over thick). When you add the fish to your sauce, the fish will release its juices adding flavor and thinning out the sauce to a proper consistency.

Once your sauce is bubbling at a medium heat, add all your fish (adding the shrimp and calamari last).  Stir, place the cover on the pot and cook for approximately 10 minutes.  **This step is important.  All you want to do is bring the heat back to the pot and basically poach the fish.  Once the sauce has started to bubble and both the sauce and fish are sufficiently hot again, put the cover on and turn off your heat.  Let the pot sit for about 30 minutes before serving.

At this point, the fish has exuded its juices adding wonderful flavors to the sauce and the fish continues to poach but never gets rubbery or tough.  Serve hot with Italian bread, warmed in the oven and cut into 2 inch slices  

OPTIONAL:  SERVE OVER COOKED LINGUINE Serves 8