Zuppa di Mare

Italy was known for fantastic food long before tomatoes and chili peppers were introduced from the new world.  My zuppa di mare recipe dates back before Colombus and it has no tomato in it.  I have seen some zuppa di mare recipes that look more like a Burrida, San Franciscan Ciapino or a Bouillabaisse.  The recipe I cooked is so simply real.  I learned this zuppa in a Northern Italian Restaurant that I was apprenticing in. 

     Recipe:  Saute sliced garlic in olive oil over medium heat till it turns a light golden color.  Add a little bit each of diced celery, diced carrots and diced onions.  Saute the vegetables till they are cooked al dente. 

     Add a bay leaf.  Add a pinch each of chopped marjoram, oregano, sage, basil, sea salt, and black pepper. 

     Add some light seafood broth or fum'e.  Bring the zuppa to a boil.  Simmer the zuppa over medium heat till the flavors meld. 

     Add some chopped anchovy filets or sun dried anchovy. 

     Add some large bite size red snapper filet pieces. 

     Add a few scallops and shrimp. 

     Remove the bay leaf. 

     Add chopped green onion, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some sliced squid last.  (The squid cook in just a few seconds.) 

     Center a little pile of al dente cooked fettucini in a shallow soup bowl and ladle the zuppa around the pasta. 

     You can taste the mellow seafood flavors in every spoonful.  The olive oil and lemon accent the seafood's flavors nicely.  Some zuppas center a piece of toasted bread in the soup bowl.  A small twist of pasta is how this version is served.  A zuppa di mare does not have be complicated with extra added ingredients to be great.  This is a very soothing, delicate flavored seafood zuppa!  Ciao Baby!  ...  Shawna