San Francisco Crab Cioppino

- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- 1¼ cups chopped fresh fennel
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1½ cups dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree
- One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 cups bottled clam juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed
- ¼ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- Salt
- 3 cooked and cracked Dungeness crabs, about 2 pounds each
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions:
Cioppino, the Mediterranean-inspired but purely Californian shellfish stew, is one of the best ways to savor the winter’s Dungeness crab.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and fennel. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and increase the heat to high. Boil until the wine is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and their puree, the tomato sauce, clam juice, oregano, basil, fennel seed, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until lightly thickened, about 1 hour. Season with salt to taste and more pepper flakes, if you wish.
- Add the cracked crab to the pot and cover. Cook just until the until the crab is heated through, about 3 minutes.
- Using a ladle and tongs, transfer the cioppino to deep soup bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot. Tell your guests that it is perfectly fine (if not imperative) to pick up the crab with their fingers.