Seafood Fra Diavalo

Nothing says I love you more than a steaming bowl of spicy seafood.  This presentation of the a classic dish is remarkably easy to prepare and comes out brilliantly every time.  Chock full of amazing seafood, it is also a nutritional powerhouse high in easy to digest protein, iron, vitamin B12, and Omega 3's,  I use Rao's Arrabbiata sauce as the base because it has great ingredients and no added sugar.  The preparation starts with an aromatic sofrito with onions, carrots, garlic, celery and fennel to add a complexity to the sauce.  A splash of ouzo added at the end of cooking gives it just the right touch of pizzazz!

Can't go to a fancy restaurant this Valentine's Day?  We got you covered for a romantic evening at home.

Ingredients:

• 1lb frozen shrimp, thawed and patted dry 
• 1lb frozen calamari (3" tubes and tentacles) thawed and patted dry.  Cut tubes into rings
• 1lb Atlantic Cod (certified sustainable), patted dry and cut into 1" hunks
• 1lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2-3/4 cup fennel, chopped
• 4T The Furies EVOO
• 1 jar Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1T Ouzo or Pernod (optional)

Directions:

• Make sure all seafood is thoroughly defrosted and patted dry.
• In a large saucepan, heat EVOO over medium heat.  Add garlic, onions, carrots, celery and fennel.  Saute over medium high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes until vegetables are softened.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Add shrimp, fish, and calamari and let sear briefly for 1-2 minutes, continuing to stir.  
• Pour red sauce and stir to combine and lower heat to medium.  Pour the wine into the empty sauce jar and shake to loosen any remaining sauce.  Add to seafood.  
• Gently place mussels into pot and cover.  Let cook covered 5-7 minutes until shells open and seafood is opaque.
• Add ouzo and stir to combine. Voila!

I served this as seen in the photo with a fresh baguette, a small bowl of EVOO for dipping, and a simple green salad.