I'm all about the flavor today...

You know, sometimes you just have to forget about any dietary restrictions and just think about the food. It just so happens that on this day I thought about the food, the flavor, the fullness factor and not the carbohydrates... and it just so happens that I came up with a very low carb meal. And it was damned delicious. So there.

Two days ago my husband (who trends towards the fatty, the salty, the processed) said he bought a carton of cioppino from a local gourmet grocery store. He was "jonesing seafood," he said. This is coming from the man who also made himself a "formed, pressed turkey roll" for dinner last night. I should trust his opinion?

Anyway, his comment about cioppino got me thinking... and jonesing. What is not to love about a good cioppino? It is made from a flavorful, spicy tomato broth enhanced with a variety of available seafood... clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, white fish, whatever looks good.

Supposedly, cioppino was invented by fishermen originally from Portugal, Italy, France and/or Spain who made their homes in San Francisco. Suffice it to say it is an American dish with Mediterranean accents. It has the herbs and the tomatoes and the seafood... it could fit in almost anywhere surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. I have always loved it and it is my gauge for restaurants around here (and I live in the Tacoma/Seattle area so I know my seafood). If their cioppino (or equivalent) is good... then they probably know their seafood. This is my recipe... inspiration taken from a bunch of recipes and my own tastes. The recipe is a LOT easier than it looks and after all, it is all about the flavor...

Cathy's Cioppino
Serve 4-6

2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 fennel (or anise) bulb, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, according to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried summer savory
(or 1 TB dried Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence for the rosemary, oregano and savory)
1 cup dry white wine
2 cans fire-roasted tomatoes
1 6oz bottle clam juice
3 cups (or more) low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
Seafood of choice... here's where it gets weird. You can mix and match and add or subtract as you wish. Listed are my choices:
4 fillets of white fish, cod or tilapia or halibut, cut into bite sized chunks
1 lb. fresh manila clams, rinsed REALLY well
1 lbs shrimp; clean, deveined, tail left on
Small handful of fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large soup pot until a flick of water skitters across the surface. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and the chopped fennel. Saute until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Add the garlic, the red pepper flakes and the other dried herbs. Saute another 5 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.

Pour in the white wine. Scrape the bottom to release any delicious brown bits that might have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine does not have any more alcohol smell and is almost evaporated. Add in the cans of tomatoes. Stir and bring back to a simmer. Add the clam juice and the chicken broth. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Taste for seasoning... add salt and pepper if necessary.

Add the seafood. Bring back to a low boil then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Check to see if the clam shells have opened and the shrimp shells are pink. Do NOT eat any unopened clams. That would be bad. Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley.

This is some good stuff. It is all about flavor and spice and local ingredients. I hope you are local to seafood, if you are, you are truly blessed. Mmmm. Good stuff.