Zuppa di Cozze: Italian Seafood Soup
Octopus & Shellfish in Tomato, Garlic, and White Wine Broth
Equipment
- Stockpot
- Grill pan
- Kitchen Torch (optional)
Ingredients
- 3-4 octopus tentacles, frozen then thawed
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ lb. jumbo shrimp
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 lb. mussels
- 1 lb. clams, various sizes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1-2 tsp chili flakes
- ½ pint cherry tomatoes
- 6 oz. white wine
- 1½ cup fish stock
- 1 handful basil, chopped
- 1 handful italian parsley, chopped
- 2-3 portions stale bread
Instructions
Octopus Blanche
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil and season with salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Add the thawed octopus tentacles and blanche in the boiling water for 35-40 minutes (until tender when squeezed).
- Once tender, strain of the broth and set the octopus tentacles in a side bowl.
- Add the prawns to the bowl with the octopus and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Set aside.
Mussels & Clams
- Rinse the clams thoroughly in cold water and scrub/de-beard the mussels, set aside.
- In a stockpot or dutch oven, heat olive oil on a medium-low heat. Saute the chopped garlic and chili flakes for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the halved cherry tomatoes.
- Add the white wine to the garlic and chili flakes and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the alcohol smell disappears. Add the fish stock and bring to a lite boil. Add in the mussels and clams.
- Steam the seafood until all the shells have opened up (usually about 7-10 minutes, but it depends on the size of the pot).
Octopus and Shrimp
- While the clams & mussels are steaming, heat a dry griddle pan on the stove to a medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp and sear the octopus tentacles on the grill. If your octopus is not charring enough to your liking, use a kitchen torch to finish off the edges. Alternatively, if you have a bbq available you can grill the shrimp and octopus on an open flame for more charred flavour.
Assembly
- Using a slotted spoon, serve up the steamed clams and mussels into your serving dish. Laddle in the hot fishy broth, then arrange the octopus and shrimp, garnish with chopped basil and parsley. Serve with stale italian crusty bread.