Chef Greg’s Zuppa di Pesce

The seven island cities of the archipelago, and the vast stretches of barren fields between them, are dusted in fresh white snow. Outside my window I see a little rabbit in the fallowed garden patch. It has settled into a heap of leaves as it tries to keep warm. But I have not seen a squirrel all day. They must be high up in the trees snuggled together in their nests, waiting for the sun to come out and give what warmth it will.

These winter scenes make me want to cook something that reminds me of the warm, sunny days of early summer. There seems to be a contrary logic to this, but it always leads to something worth eating and sharing.

This season it is a fish soup that mixes the flavors of the sea and the garden in a balanced and flavorful composition of my own creation. I guarantee it will whisk you away to warmer climes after your first spoon full!

Happy Cooking!

Seafood Soup

Fish Stock 2 ½ cups
Onions ½ large
Carrots 1 small
Celery 1 large stalk
Green Cabbage ½ cup, sliced very thin
Cherry Tomatoes 3 ea.
Potato, Yukon Gold 1 large
Cherry Stone Clams 1 large
White Beans, canned 4 tablespoons heaping
Shrimp, 31- 40 count 4 ea.
Salmon 3 oz
Dill, Fresh 4-5 sprigs
Parsley, Fresh 4-5 sprigs
Bay Leaf, Fresh 2 large
White Wine, Dry 3-4 Tablespoons
Olive Oil 2-3 Tablespoons
Salt & Black Pepper To taste

1) Medium dice onions, carrots and celery (1/2” x 1/2”). Slice cabbage very thin and cut the strips in half. Quarter the cherry tomatoes. Peel the onion and dice ¾” x ¾”. Peel the potato and dice it 3/4″ x 3/4″.
2) Clean off shell well. Shuck the clam, retain the juice and slice the meat into a few pieces. Remove the shells and tails from the shrimp and cut in half. Cut he salmon into 1”x1” pieces. (Note: If you don’t want to shuck the clam, add it to step 4. When it is open remove the shell and cut the meat up and put the meat back in when the soup is done cooking.)
3) In a 10-cup saucepan, preferably with a heavy bottom, lightly sauté the onions, carrots, celery and cabbage for just a few minutes over a medium high flame. Stir frequently so the vegetables cook evenly.
4) Add the fish stock, diced potato, bay leaf and bring to a low boil.
5) In a small frying pan over a medium high flame, sauté the quartered tomatoes using a small amount of olive oil. Turn constantly. When the tomatoes get wrinkly, about 3 minutes or so, deglaze with the white wine. Stir while reducing liquid, for a minute or so. Add tomato / white wine reduction to the soup. (It is acceptable to sauté the tomato with the rest of the vegetables but sauteing them on their own will better develop their flavor.)
6) When the potatoes are soft, but not mushy, add the fish, beans and the rest of the herbs. Leave on the flame until the fish is fully cooked.
7) Flavor with the salt & pepper and let stand covered for a few hours before serving…if you can.

Serve with a thick, toasted slice of any style bread that has a substantial crust and a well-developed interior structure. (No wimpy bread, please.) Serve with a German lager or pilsner or any of these Italian white wines – Soave, Gavi, Pinot Grigio, Orvieto or a Vermentino.