Monkey Cioppino Recipe

Prepare seafood

Pat scallops, shrimp and cod pieces dry with paper towels. Season scallops, shrimp and cod lightly with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Lightly dust scallops with 2 tsp flour — this helps form a golden sear.

Cook linguine

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add 12 oz linguine and cook until just shy of al dente (about 1–2 minutes less than package directions). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and set aside, tossed with 1 tbs olive oil to prevent sticking.

Sauté aromatics

In a large wide sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, add 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tbs butter. When butter foams, add 1 cup diced onion, 2 diced celery stalks and 1 cup diced carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Build tomato base

Stir in 2 tbs tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to caramelize. Pour in 1 cup dry white wine to deglaze, scrape up browned bits, and simmer 2–3 minutes until slightly reduced.

Simmer broth

Add 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 2 cups seafood stock (or clam juice), 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp smoked paprika, and 1 tsp cayenne pepper. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered 12–15 minutes to meld flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning; add 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice and fold in chiffonade of 8 basil leaves near the end.

Pan-sear scallops

While the broth simmers, heat a large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tbs neutral oil (not included above — use from pantry if needed) or use 1 tbs of the extra-virgin olive oil noted; once shimmering, place scallops in the pan spaced apart. Sear scallops 1.5–2 minutes per side until deeply golden (do not overcook). Remove to a plate and tent loosely with foil.

Sear shrimp and quickly cook cod

In the same skillet (wipe briefly if burnt bits), add a touch more oil if needed and sear shrimp about 1–1.5 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through. Remove to the plate with scallops. Quickly sear cod pieces 1 minute per side just to develop color (they will finish cooking in the broth). Remove cod to the plate.

Steam mussels

While searing, when the broth is simmering, add the mussels to the simmering broth, cover and steam 4–6 minutes until mussels open. Discard any mussels that do not open. Remove steamed mussels with tongs into a bowl, leaving the broth in the pot.

Finish seafood in broth

Reduce broth heat to low-medium. Gently add seared cod pieces, shrimp and scallops into the simmering tomato broth so they can finish cooking and absorb flavor — simmer gently 2–3 minutes. Taste and adjust salt/pepper if needed.

Add 1 tbs unsalted butter to the broth and stir to create a slightly glossy finish. Fold in 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley. If the broth is too thick, loosen with reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency for tossing with pasta.

Place a portion of linguine into shallow bowls, ladle generous amounts of the tomato-seafood broth with pieces of cod, shrimp and mussels over the pasta. Top each bowl with 3 scallops and several mussels. Garnish with extra basil or parsley and serve with lemon wedges and focaccia brushed with 2 tbs olive oil.