Cioppino alla San Francisco

Ingredients:

Base for stew

• 3 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1.5 cups thinly sliced ​​onion
• 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups fish broth or 1 cup canned clam juice mixed with 2 cups chicken broth (store-bought or homemade)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced ​​fresh basil leaves
• Sourdough bread with crust, for serving

Seafood

• 12 small clams
• 1 cooked Dungeness crab, cut into large chunks, or 2 king crab claws, quartered
• 12 mussels
• 450 g large shrimp in shells, butterfly cut (remove intestinal veins)
• 220 g of cleaned squid, cut into rings, tentacles cut in half
• 220g sea scallops, trimmed, or firm-fleshed fish such as halibut, cut into 2.5cm cubes.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the base of the stew:
   
   Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat with olive oil. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Bring the wine to a boil and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce the wine to a gentle simmer until it's reduced by about half.
2. Add the tomatoes, peppers, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer the soup, slightly ajar, for 30 minutes. The base for the stew can be made in advance and refrigerated for 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month..
3. Cioppino:
   
   Bring the stew base to a boil. Add the basil and clams and simmer, covered, over high heat for 5 minutes, or until the clams open. Add the crab and cook for 1 minute. Add the mussels, shrimp, squid, and scallops. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mussels open, the shrimp curl up, and the squid and scallops are firm, about 3 minutes.
4. Serve in large warm bowls with plenty of crusty bread.