Broth

Set a large heavy-bottomed sauté pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and warm gently. Add peppercorns, seaweed and bay leaf; stir and let soften. Add halved garlic, onion, fennel, and carrot. Season with a sprinkle of sea salt.

Allow the vegetables to soften (you don’t want them to brown; instead they should start to relax in the oil, absorbing it and releasing their liquid).

Pour in the vermouth and allow it to reduce slightly. Add the green crabs. Eventually they will turn from green to red, much like a lobster. Add tomatoes and 4 cans of water.

Once the liquid comes to a simmer (don’t boil—lower the heat if you must, everyone’s stove and pots are different), simmer for about 45 minutes and strain.

Extra step: Place green crab bodies in the blender and pulverize. Strain in sieve or chinois, pressing with a spoon or ladle to get all the juice out; add that juice to your broth.

Brodetto

Gently warm olive oil in large heavy-bottomed sauté pot. Add fennel and onion, season generously with salt and pepper. Let them relax and soften and bring them to the edge of browning, until they’re translucent and unctuous (have a greasy or oily feel).

Add garlic. (Why now? Because the slices are apt to burnt if you put them in with the fennel.)

Add lemon peel and red pepper flakes (if you like things spicier add the red pepper flakes with fennel and onion). Season generously with salt and pepper.

Once the garlic is soft (it will be moments rather than minutes), add shellfish, let them sit for a few minutes to get used to the heat.

Season monkish with salt and pepper and add to pot (if using a more delicate fish like hake or seabass, wait until broth is simmering). Stir gently; when the monkfish start to change color, add broth and raise heat to a full medium. Bring to a simmer. Once the shellfish has opened and the monkfish feels solid, slide in the scallops (if using cooked lobster, flaky fish such as hake, haddock or seabass, now is the time to add that).

Once the last batch of seafood is cooked through, ladle into warmed bowls. Top each with a flurry of fresh herbs, a pinch of flaky salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Serve with thick slice of toasted bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil and salt—or not; hunks of bread will do just as nicely, as will steamed potatoes if you are avoiding gluten.

Soups & Stews

Green Crab Brodetto

Chicken Noodle Soup

Fall Mushroom Soup with Savory Herbs and Warm Cream

Hungarian Mushroom Soup (for a crowd)

Thai Coconut Broth with Lobster Wontons

Beef, Barley, and Portobello Mushroom Soup

White Posole Stew with Shredded Pork and Chocolate

Savory Lobster, Fennel, and Saffron Broth

Beef and Braised Cabbage Soup with Horseradish Cream

Cod and Root Vegetable Stew with Parsley Oil and Rye Bread Crumbs

Green Crab Broth

Celery Bisque with Beer-Battered Celery Hearts