BOBBY FLAY'S CIOPPINO

Bobby Flay's Cioppino image

Yield serves 4 to 6

Number Of Ingredients 24

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
5 cups fish stock (see Sources, page 269)
1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds sea bass fillets, cut into 2-inch squares
12 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
32 littleneck clams
24 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus whole leaves for garnish (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons honey
Few dashes of hot sauce
Sourdough Croutons (recipe follows)
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 anchovies packed in oil, patted dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices sourdough bread
Olive oil

Steps:

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the fish stock, drained tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
While the broth is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large sauté pan over high heat. Season the bass on both sides with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the same pan. Season the shrimp and sauté until light golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove to the plate with the bass.
Add the clams and mussels to the thickened broth and cook until they open (discarding any that do not), about 3 minutes. Add the bass and shrimp, and cook just to heat through, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley and tarragon, and season with the honey, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf.
To serve, place a crouton in each of 4 to 6 bowls, ladle some of the cioppino on top, and top with the remaining croutons. Garnish with parsley leaves, if desired.
Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat, or preheat your broiler.
Combine the butter and anchovies in a food processor, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and scrape into a bowl.
Brush one side of the bread with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill, oil side down (or broil, oil side up), until light golden brown. Turn over and continue grilling until light golden brown on both sides.
Remove the bread to a platter, and spread some of the butter mixture on the seasoned side. Cut each slice in half crosswise, to make 16 croutons.