Ingredients

  • 1 head fresh fennel (12 oz.)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 3 cans (15 oz. each) diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
  • 1 dozen clams in shell (suitable for steaming; discard any that are not closed), well scrubbed
  • 2 cooked Dungeness crabs (about 2 lb. each), cleaned and cracked
  • 1 pound shrimp (24 to 30 per lb.), peeled and deveined
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  • Trim off and discard tough stems and base of fennel head. Rinse fennel, core, and chop.
  • In a 6- to 8-quart pan over medium-high heat, stir fennel, oil, onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons parsley until onion is limp, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add diced tomatoes (including juice), white wine, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and chile flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer on low heat until flavors are well blended, about 15 minutes.
  • Add clams and crab. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp, cover and simmer, until clams pop open, shrimp turn pink, and crab is hot, 6 to 9 minutes longer; remove seafood as it finishes cooking. Discard clams that do not open. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle broth and seafood into wide bowls. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.