Cacciuco alla Livornese
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 0.5 lb calamari, cleaned and cut into rings
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 28 oz canned Italian plum tomatoes
- 1 lb mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
- 12 littleneck clams
- 1 cup water
- 12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 lb assorted firm fish (haddock, cod, monkfish), cut into large chunks
- 4 tbsp flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Heat olive oil in a 4–6 quart pot over moderate heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté stirring until soft and slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Raise heat to high. Add calamari and sauté until it turns purple and begins to brown, 2–3 minutes.
- 3
Add wine, scraping the bottom of the pot. Boil 1–2 minutes to evaporate alcohol. Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes, crushing them with a fork. Simmer gently while you prepare the shellfish.
- 4
In a separate pot, combine mussels, clams, and 1 cup water. Bring to boil, cover, and steam about 5 minutes until shells open. Discard any that don't open. Remove shellfish with a slotted spoon, reserve the steaming liquid. When cool enough, remove from shells.
- 5
Add shrimp to the simmering tomato mixture; raise heat if needed. Cook about 3 minutes until shrimp turns pink.
- 6
Add the clams and mussels with their reserved steaming liquid (avoid the grit at the bottom). Add firm fish pieces. Allow fish to settle without stirring.
- 7
Simmer gently 5–7 minutes until fish is cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley and black pepper. Serve with crusty bread.