I was at Trader Joe’s the other day and spotted a frozen Seafood Medley containing shrimp, scallops, and squid.  I don’t get the chance to eat seafood as often as I’d like, so I picked up a bag.  I found this recipe for Zuppa Di Pesce which sounded like a nice weekend meal.  A ‘weekend’ meal of course because it calls for red wine, and we all know what happens when you open a bottle of wine for a recipe, right?

But first, a quick word about sustainability.  It seems that Trader Joe’s received some negative publicity about their lack of sustainable seafood practices.  It also seems the company has committed to turning things around by the end of 2012.  So how does the Seafood Medley stack up?  I turned to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, and it looks like the shrimp, scallops, and squid from Thailand are not on the worst list, but not on the best list either.  Next time I am at TJ’s I’ll check out other products to see if I can find the best seafood choices.

Now back to the soup, because it was indeed a nice weekend meal.  I really liked the rich tomato broth, and there was plenty of seafood to keep it interesting.  However, the first bowl was by far the best.  The texture of the seafood wasn’t quite as good the next day, so this isn’t the type of thing you’d want to pack for lunch.  (Not to mention, people get upset when you heat up seafood in the office microwave, right!?)  Still, it was a nice soup for a cold winter night.

Italian Seafood Soup

1 T olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, peeled and diced
1 t minced garlic
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
28 oz. water
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. red wine
1 bag Trader Joe’s Seafood Medley

Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add onion, and cook for 10 minutes until softened and lightly browned.  Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, water, and seasonings.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add wine and seafood, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.

-Lightly adapted from Comfy Tummy

• Soups and Stews