CIOPPINO, more or less...

From Cooking by Heart, Zuppa di Pesce is my version of the iconic dish made famous by Tadich Grill in San Francisco. "Classics never go out of style!"

ZUPPA DI PESCE

16 Littleneck clams

3/4 cup dry white wine

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, minced, plus one clove cut in half

1 small onion, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 cups puréed canned plum tomatoes with their juices

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

4 skinless, boneless cod loins, about 1 1/2 pounds

8 large sea scallops

1 pound large peeled, deveined shrimp

4 pieces crusty bread, like sourdough, cut 1/2 inch across

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

Soak clams to purge them of any sand; rinse the outsides. Place clams in a sauté pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add the wine. Cover and cook on medium-high, removing them to a bowl as they pop open. Strain pan juices through cheese cloth and set aside. Rinse and wipe the inside of the pan with paper towels.

Remove the small band of muscle, if still attached, to the scallops. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in the pan on low. Add the garlic, onion, red pepper and a pinch of salt; cook 2-3 minutes until softened but not browned. Add tomato and strained clam broth; simmer on low 5 minutes. Add broth, season with salt and pepper and simmer 2 minutes. Add the cod, scallops and shrimp; they should be almost fully immersed in liquid. Simmer, covered, on low until the shrimp turn pink and the scallops and cod are no longer translucent. Return the clams to the pan and continue cooking, covered, for 1 minute, until the clams are heated throughout.

Meanwhile, toast bread on both sides. Rub one side of each toast with the cut surface of the halved garlic clove. Place a piece of toasted bread on the bottom of each of 4 serving bowls. Ladle the soup over the bread and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4.