Zuppa De Pesce Recipe

Clean and portion seafood

Rinse clams and mussels under cold water, discard any with broken shells or that do not close when tapped. Scrub shells and remove beards from mussels. Peel and devein shrimp if not already done. Pat all seafood dry. Cut lobster tail lengthwise (butterfly) or into medallions if preferred. Cut white fish into 1–1.5" pieces. Pat calamari dry.

Prep aromatics and tomatoes

Peel and thinly slice garlic. Finely dice the onion. Thinly slice the fennel (if using). Chop parsley and tear basil. Zest and halve the lemon. If using fresh tomatoes, blanch, peel, seed and crush; otherwise open canned crushed plum tomatoes and set aside.

Heat a large wide pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. When shimmering, add the diced onion and sliced fennel and cook until softened and translucent, about 5–7 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30–45 seconds; be careful not to brown the garlic.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute to deepen flavor. Add the crushed plum tomatoes and 3 cups of seafood or fish broth, scraping any browned bits from the pot. Increase heat to bring to a gentle simmer.

Deglaze with wine

Pour in the 3 tablespoons of dry white wine, stir, and simmer for 5 minutes to cook off alcohol and concentrate the flavors. Taste and season the broth with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; adjust later as the seafood reduces the saltiness.

Start with firmer shellfish

Add the littleneck clams and PEI mussels to the simmering broth first. Cover and cook 3–5 minutes, checking after 3 minutes. Remove any shellfish that have opened and set aside in a covered bowl; discard any that remain tightly closed after 5 minutes. Keep the cooking liquid in the pot.

Add fish and calamari

Gently add the white fish pieces and calamari to the simmering broth. Simmer uncovered for 2–3 minutes—fish should be opaque and firm; calamari should be tender but not rubbery. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked fish and calamari to the bowl with shellfish to keep warm.

Finish with lobster and shrimp

Add the lobster tail to the simmering broth (if butterflied, place cut side down) and simmer 3–4 minutes until the meat is opaque and reaches about 135–140°F (it will finish resting). Add the U10 shrimp and cook until pink and just firm, about 1–2 minutes. Remove lobster and shrimp and add to the warm bowl with the other seafood. Do not overcook—shrimp and lobster cook quickly.

Return all reserved seafood to the pot just to warm through briefly (30–45 seconds) and to marry flavors. Stir in chopped parsley, torn basil leaves (if using), and the zest and juice of half the lemon (reserve the other half for serving). Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.

Serve

Ladle the zuppa de pesce into warmed bowls, making sure each portion gets a generous mix of lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari and fish, and plenty of broth and tomatoes. Garnish with extra chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil if desired. Serve immediately with slices of crusty bread for dipping and remaining lemon halves on the side.