Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat until foamy. Stir to combine 1 and 2 and cook until the vegetables are translucent and lightly browned around the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes. Halfway through cooking, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

Lower the heat and stir in the tomato paste. Stir well and cook until paste begins to brown (not burn), about 5 minutes. Add Mixture 3 and stir to loosen any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat by half, about 6 minutes. Stir in Mixture 4 and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over moderate heat until potatoes are tender. Turn off heat and cover.

Season seafood with salt and pepper. In a large pasta pot or Dutch oven (wide side, high sides), heat olive oil. Add clams and mussels and sauté for about 11/2 minutes.

Add shrimp, scallops, fish and green onions and cook until opaque on one side, about 1 minute. (Do not flip.) Add vermouth, cover, and let mixture steam until seafood is cooked through, about 90 seconds. Add the hot bottom, bring to a boil, and simmer for 11/2 minutes; remove the thyme and discard.

The vegetable ingredients in this recipe are the ones I usually use, but you can modify them with ingredients you can easily find or already have in your refrigerator. Although I use anchovy stock as the base for the soup to add flavor, water would work as well since all the seafood in the recipe brings a lot of flavor to the soup.

The prepared pot initially looks full, but the ingredients will cook down significantly. Also, you don't have to load all the ingredients at once. You can add more as they cook or take some out to eat. Most of the ingredients in this recipe don't take long to cook.

Cold winter days call for a warm, comforting soup or stew, and this seafood fondue is a favorite for the whole family. It's hearty, spicy, full of savory and salty flavors, bubbling with heat, and visually appealing! I make this dish every time the kids come home. I cook it on a portable grill at the table, which adds a fun twist to the regular table. Everyone sits around the table, patiently watching the steaming hot pot with their mouths watering, and then serves their own portion directly from the pot in a small bowl.