Just when you think soup season is over, here comes Memorial Day and its ever-rainy, ever-chilly arrival on the East End. But don’t dismay — make Lauren Lombardi’s zuppa di pesce.
“When I think of growing up in my family’s Italian restaurant, I think of the ever-present smell of roasted garlic, my grandmother’s tomato sauce and this zuppa di pesce dish,” says Lombardi, proprietor of Lombardi’s Love Lane Market in Mattituck, as well as her eponymous (and downright lovely) event-catering company that creates beautiful, delicious occasions on both forks.
Lombardi and her family are synonymous on eastern Long Island for enticing, craveable, Italian-nodding cuisine via their two restaurants, catering hall, and duo of markets, the latter complete with fresh meats, veggies, prepared foods, imported pastas and other irresistible sundries. “I grew up with an ingrained notion of good food and good hospitality,” says Lombardi. “We grew the family businesses to encompass those ideals.”
The fresh ingredients available right outside her door are a direct reflection of the traditions Lombardi’s family imported from their home region, just outside Avellino in Campania, Italy. And, perhaps even more so, all of which stem from the culinary values of her grandmother, Michelina, who passed away in June 2024.
The culture of cooking and eating together was a big part of the Lombardi way, with Sundays a sacrosanct moment in the busy week to pause and be together. And while there are many dishes that stand out in Lauren’s memory, she turns to her grandmother’s zuppa di pesce when she wants to show the same gusto for gathering that Michelina ingrained in her.
“It’s the perfect example of how cooking simply is elevated when you use the best-quality ingredients, like fresh and local seafood,” says Lauren. “This classic Neapolitan dish is perfect for your next holiday or celebration.”
Giving that it’s looking like another chilly, potentially wet Memorial Day long holiday weekend, Lombardi’s favorite family dish is a fun choice to make the most of locally caught seafood — and we’ve got a pretty good round-up of our Hamptons faves here.
Keeping with the theme, that old chestnut “Don’t cook with it if you won’t drink it” is a good rule of thumb to follow here. Lauren uses a dry white wine as part of the base of this warm and welcoming family-style dish — stick with her recommendation and pop open one of Long Island’s multitude of excellent chardonnays. For being one of the earlier wineries, Duck Walk Vineyards, with locations on the North and South forks, tends to be a little under the radar, but winemaker Erik Bilka is a talented one, and you can’t go wrong with either Blue Duck or Reserve chards from their stocks, perhaps the latter with its kiss of barrel-aging for a little extra depth and spice, which matches deliciously with this seafood-centric dish.
Zuppa di Pesce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 28 oz cans San Marzano tomatoes, hand crushed
- 3/4 lb calamari, cleaned, tubed cut into 1/2" rings and large tentacles cut in half
- 1 lb Little Neck clams, scrubbed
- 4 lobster tails (you can also use two 1-lb lobsters, halved for a more dramatic presentation)
- 1 lb mussels
- 3/4 lb large shrimp, shelled and cleaned
- 5-6 stems fresh basil with leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In a deep saucepan large enough to hold the seafood, heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and sauté until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Add the white wine, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook at a moderate simmer for 10 minutes before adding any seafood. Add the calamari, clams and lobster. Cook for 8 minutes or until the clams just start to open.
- Add the mussels and shrimp and cover with the lid. Cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through and the mussels open, about 4 to 6 minutes. Any clams or mussels that do not open should be discarded.
- Transfer to a large serving platter or four individual bowls. Garnish with fresh basil. For an even quicker version, use Mamma Lombardi’s Marinara Sauce as a base to cook the seafood. Enjoy!
