Supreme Italian Fish Soup

Ingredients

FISH BROTH

• 2 lbs fish bones, heads and trimmings of various kinds of white-fleshed fish
• 2 quarts water
• 2 large trimmed celery ribs
• 1 large thickly-sliced onion
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled seeded,and diced
• salt

FISH SOUP

• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 2 sprigs finely minced parsley, additional
• Tabasco sauce
• 1 lb crabmeat
• 1/2 lb squid, prepared (for cooking)
• 6 mussels, well-scrubbed
• 1 lb lobster (double crab meat if unavailable) (optional)
• 6 clams, well-scrubbed
• 1 1/2 lbs red snapper or halibut or sea bass, fish and the like cut into 1 1/2 pieces

Directions

1. 1

   Place the first 7 ingredients except the salt in a 6.

2. 2

   quart pot.

3. 3

   Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. 4

   Skim if necessary.

5. 5

   Cool slightly and pour through a fine strainer lined with several layers of clean cheesecloth.

6. 6

   Papertowels can be substituted.

7. 7

   Season with salt very delicately so as not to overpower the flavor of fish.

8. 8

   Add the garlic, parsley, and tabasco sauce to the fish broth to give it a piquant flavor.

9. 9

   Add the seafood and simmer, half-covered, over the lowest possible heat for 2 hours.