Venetian Seafood Stew

Ingredients:
8 ounces mussels, beards removed, scrubbed and well rinsed
8 ounces clams, scrubbed and well rinsed
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Leaves from 3 sprigs thyme
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
8 ounces baby calamari, cleaned
(if you can only fine large calamari, cut them in half)
8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 ounces red mullet fillet, cut into 1-ince pieces
3 ounces sole fillet, cut into 1-ince pieces
3 ounces halibut fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 ounces monkfish fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 large scallops, halved crosswise
1 cup dry white wine
2 quarts simmering Fish Broth

Instructions
Place the mussels and clams in a medium saucepan. Add a cup of
water, cover, and cook over medium-high heat until the shells are
open, about 6 minutes. Discard any unopened shells. Let cool
slightly, then remove the meat from the clams and mussels. Set
aside. Reserve the cooking liquid.

In a large saucepan or braising pan, heat the oil over medium-low
heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, and thyme and cook,
stirring often, for 10 minutes; do not allow the vegetables to
brown. Add the tomato and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove and
discard the garlic cloves.

Add the baby calamari and cook, stirring here and there, for 2
minutes. Add the shrimp; cook for a minute. Season the red
mullet, sole, halibut, and monkfish with salt. Add them to the pan
along with the scallops. Gently move the fish around the pan to
cook evenly. After 2 to 3 minutes, add the white wine and cook
until it evaporates by half. Add the reserved liquid from the
clams and mussels; leave behind the bottom quarter of liquid, which
will likely contain sand. Using a ladle, spoon in the simmering
fish broth. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Adjust the
seasoning to taste and serve immediately, or cool quickly in an ice
bath and serve, reheated, the next day.