Fabulous Tuscan Seafood Soup

My family absolutely LOVE seafood!! I mean, even my 14 month-old son loves seafood. He can't get enough of it. When I saw this delicious seafood soup recipe, I got so excited! As a Korean, I grew up eating a lot of seafood. They have the most fresh seafood ever! When we went to visit my parents back in October, 2008, my husband was so impressed with their seafood selection. They have everything. My mom used to make the most delicious seafood soups all the time - I think I told her that it was the one thing that I HAD TO have before I came back to America. Of course, she cooked one of my favorite seafood soups the first morning we were there. Anyway, this soup isn't Korean but I loved every bite of it. I am definitely saving this recipe and definitely making it again!! I changed the recipe a little bit and it was wonderful with grilled Italian bread.

Tuscon Seafood Soup

Ingredients:

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded, diced
4 large garlic cloves, minced (or more, if you're a big garlic fan! I am! So I used about 6 cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup dry red wine
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (either flat-leaf or regular)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
24 or more littleneck clams
24 or more large shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined
12 or more large scallops or 2 lbs fresh white fish fillets, cut into 2-inch chunks (I used scallops and it was fantastic!)
3 cups cold water
6-8 thick slices crusty Italian bread, grilled/toasted

Direction:

Heat olive oil in a 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until soft.

Add wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a brisk simmer for 5 minutes, or until the wine no longer smells of alcohol.

Add tomatoes, all but 2 tablespoons of parsley and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat until the sauce simmers gently. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add clams and shrimp; stir. Add scallops or fish (or both), and stir gently. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the liquid starts to bubble. Add water. Cover and reduce the heat so the mixture simmers but does not boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the clams open the other seafood is opaque in the center. Discard any clams that do not open.

Optional: Set the bread in pasta plate or large shallow bowls and spoon the stew over it. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Adapted from Costco Cookbook