Recipe by Capt. Pete Rapps

- Ingredients -

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large Vidalia onion (chopped)
• 1 green pepper (chopped)
• 4 celery stalks (chopped)
• 1 small stalk of fennel (chopped)
• ¼ cup green onions (chopped)
• 3 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs Captain Rapps' "Everyday" Seasoning
• 1 Tbs oregano
• 1 tsp dried hot pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 28-oz can crushed plum tomatoes
• 2 cups fish or chicken stock
• 1 lb clams
• 1 lb mussels
• 1 lb large shrimp (shelled - tails off)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 loaf French bread
• 1.5 lbs dense, flesh fish chopped into 1-inch cubes. You can use Snook, Redfish, Shark, or Grouper for local fish, otherwise Halibut or Swordfish work well.

-Directions -

1. In a large pot, heat oil on medium and cook onion, green pepper, celery, garlic and fennel until soft. (5-10 minutes)
2. While that is cooking, peel shrimp.  Then chop the fish into 1" cubes. Put shrimp and fish into a bowl and season with 1 Tbs Captain Rapps' "Everyday" Seasoning and let sit.
3. Add bay leaf, salt, oregano, hot pepper flakes, fennel seeds, thyme, pepper, wine, canned tomatoes, fish or chicken stock and tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add clams and mussels and cook with cover on until they open. (5-10 minutes)
5. Add shrimp and fresh parsley and stir them into the stew. Then add the fish cubes by laying them on the surface of the stew. Don't stir them in. Cook covered for 5 minutes. Stir gently.

Serve in bowls, trying not to break fish up too much and add parsley as garnish. Serve with French bread and Pecorino Romano cheese.