A Taste of Old NYC

Once upon a time there was a restaurant called Sloppy Louie's. It was right off Fulton Street, way in the depths of Lower Manhattan, and was the kind of joint where guys in short-sleeve white button downs and ties would gather at lunch time, eat, smoke, and talk. It's the kind of place that doesn't exist much in NYC anymore but Sloppy Louie's had a great run, lasting 68 years, from 1930 to 1998.

Best of all, it was located mere blocks from the Fulton Fish Market and was able to serve some of the freshest fish in the city.

And while Sloppy' Louie's is, sadly, long gone, one of its best recipes survives: a bouillabaisse called Ciuppin di Pesce. It's very, very fish and seafood heavy and it looks amazing. So, while one can't time travel back to Sloppy Louie's and the NYC is thrived in, one can taste it. 

Ciuppin di Pesce

INGREDIENTS:1 medium Carrot sliced, 2 medium Onions sliced, 1 clove Garlic, 4 Tbsp Olive oil, 3
lbs Fish in season, cooked and boned, 1 cup Tomatoes, 1 Bay leaf, 2 cups Fish stock or water, 1 dozen Oysters, clams or scallops, 1 cup Shrimp or crab, 3 tsp Salt, .5 tsp Pepper, 2 Tbsp Lemon juice, .25 cup Sherry

DIRECTIONS: Brown the carrot, onions, and garlic in hot olive oil in a large pot. Remove the garlic clove. Add the fish, tomatoes, bay leaf and stock. Allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and add all the remaining ingredients, except for the sherry. Add the sherry right before serving.