Added on Thursday, July 3, 2008  Gary Hurley

Gruppa Zuppa for Four

Ingredients

Italian loaf bread

1 lb. shrimp

1.5 lbs. grouper filets

2 dozen little neck clams (washed)

1 cup white wine or beer

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large tomato

1 medium onion

1/2 stick butter

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

The key to successful cooking is prep work; make sure your ingredients are ready to go.  Peel the shrimp, cut the fish into bite size pieces, wash off the clams, dice the tomato, and slice the onion. 

Pre-heat large sauté pan to medium high. Then add clams, olive oil, tomato, and onion. Sauté this first round of ingredients for four minutes. 

Move ingredients to one side of pan, and then add fish, shrimp, and seasonings.  Sauté the second round for four minutes stirring all the ingredients together.  

Add white wine and bring to simmer. This will “deglaze” the pan, pulling the browned sugars from the pan to dissolve and bring all flavors together. 

Cover and continue to cook for six minutes or when clams all open (some clams may need a little help).

The garlic bread can be done before the main dish is ready. To save time, cut the bread into pieces at an angle. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over bread, add garlic, and then bake at 375 degrees in oven until nice and brown.

 Gruppa Zuppa is made to eat with garlic bread so you have bread to dip into a great sauce. However, the dish may be served with pasta, rice, or rissotto to make a heaver dish.

Danny Hieronymus was born and raised in Wrightsville Beach into a commercial fishing family and has been catching fish throughout NC all his life.  He has also been cooking with his mother since he was 8 years old in the family restaurant. He can be reached at capefearcookin@yahoo.com.