West Coast Ciopino

I’ve worked on this recipe for a couple years. Ultimately, high quality ingredients and simplicity has won. Here ya go:

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet onion, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 lb shrimp, deveined, heads removed

• 1 (1 lb) bag mussels, cleaned, beards removed

• 2 (28 oz) cans whole, peeled tomatoes

• 1 (5 oz) jar sliced green olives (with liquid)

• 2 (32 oz) containers seafood stock

• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• Fresh basil, chopped (to taste)

• ¼ tsp saffron threads (optional)

• Olive oil

• Salt & black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Sauté Aromatics

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until soft and fragrant, about 5–7 minutes.

1. Build the Broth

Add the whole, peeled tomatoes (with their juice) to the pot. Pour in the seafood stock. Stir in tomato paste.

1. Simmer & Reduce

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Add crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and chopped fresh basil. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, allowing the broth to reduce by half.

1. Blend the Base

Remove bay leaves. Use an immersion blender to carefully blend the mixture until smooth. (Alternatively, blend in batches using a countertop blender, then return to the pot.)

1. Add Flavor Depth

Stir in the entire jar of sliced green olives along with their juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

1. Add Seafood

Bring the sauce back to a simmer. Add all shrimp and mussels at once. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 3 minutes.

1. Rest

Turn off the heat, keeping the lid on. Let the stew rest for 10 minutes to allow the seafood to finish cooking gently in the residual heat.

1. Final Seasoning

Stir in the oregano, thyme, and saffron threads (if using). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

To Serve:

Serve hot over cooked spaghetti, linguine, or alongside a crusty baguette for dipping.

Notes:

• Feel free to add other seafood like scallops, chunks of white fish, or calamari.