slow cooker cioppino

This weekend I went to my first Ravens game ever!

Which is kind of surprising given that I’ve lived in Baltimore for the better part of eight years. Aaron had four tickets so he invited the GS and I to go. We had amazing seats, but I still kept finding myself watching the Jumbo-tron even though I could see the players. The worst.

Because I knew we were going to be gone for a while and want something warm for dinner when we got home, I started investigating slow cooker options. And found this! I changed the recipe kind of a lot, but it turned out SO good. I love that it’s healthy and fresh. Usually I think of seafood soups as being heavy (clam chowder, lobster bisque, etc.) but this is still comforting.

Plus, when the soup is healthy, you get to eat a whole loaf of bread. These are the rules.

I told Aaron on Saturday that I was making a seafood stew for dinner on Sunday. This is essentially how our conversation went.

Me: I’m making seafood stew tomorrow!

Aaron: What fish is in it?

Me: Well I bought-

Aaron: Lobster?

Me: No, I bought shrimp and-

Aaron: Crab?

Me: No, shrimp and cod and-

Aaron: Mussels?

Me: No but I got-

Aaron: Clams?

Me: SHUT UP AND LET ME TELL YOU WHAT FISH IS IN THE DAMN SOUP.

Slow Cooker Cioppino

adapted from myrecipes.com

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, finely chopped

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil, salt, pepper

1-2 tsp oregano

1-2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tbs tomato paste

2 32 oz cans crushed tomatos

1 cup white wine

1 quart chicken stock (or seafood stock)

5-6 dashes hot sauce (optional)

12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 51-60 ct)

12 oz scallops

12 oz cod fillets

Saute the onion, celery, carrot, fennel, and garlic with salt and pepper. I used some red chili infused olive oil because I really wanted this to be spicy, but regular olive oil is fine. The hot sauce and crushed red pepper will make it plenty spicy enough.

Add oregano, parsley, crushed red pepper. After 8-10 minutes, add the tomato paste, then the wine. Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and allow it to cook for 8-10 minutes. Add the hot sauce!

At this point I transferred mine over to the slow cooker and set it to low for about 5 hours. You could leave it on the stove and continue to stir it periodically.

Chop up the cod into bite-sized pieces, and add it to the soup with the shrimp about 5-10 minutes before serving. It will cook completely in the soup.

I couldn’t bring myself to chop up scallops and throw them in, so I sauteed them separately and then put 2 in each bowl of soup. Makes for a nicer presentation, and obviously the scallop is the star. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with crusty bread.

I usually think of soup as being an inexpensive dinner option. Unfortunately this one is not because of all the seafood, but it’s worth it for a special occasion. Our special occasion? The Ravens and the Homeland finale, both terrible. Good thing we had soup!