Southern California Cioppino - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped, with leaves
4 carrots, sliced
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups tomato juice
2 (8 ounce) jars clam juice
1/2 cup white wine
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound halibut steaks, cubed
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 pound mussels, cleaned and debearded
2 pounds clams in shell, scrubbed
1 pound cooked crabmeat
1 pound bay or sea scallops, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, and garlic, and cook 5 to 10 minutes. Add parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, tomato juice, clam juice, white wine, basil, oregano, thyme, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Approximately 15 to 20 minutes before you are ready to serve the cioppino, stir in the fish, shrimp, mussels, clams, crab, and scallops. Continue to cook and stir approximately 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and the clams and mussel shells have opened. Remove any unopened mussels or clams before serving.