Cioppino

One of the things I love about being from the San Francisco Bay Area was access to some of the best seafood on the West Coast! My favorite thing to do on weekends was head to the City to the Seafood Market or the Wharf to pick up fresh seafood for Cioppino. San Francisco is widely known for this Fisherman’s Stew, typically made from fresh seafood in a broth of herbs, fish stock, wine, and tomatoes. This recipe is foolproof from Giada De Laurentis. Feel free to mix up the seafood with additions such as crab, snapper, and even scallops. A hearty dinner when served with crusty sourdough. And wine! Always wine!

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 3 large shallots, chopped

  • Kosher salt to taste

  • 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste

  • 1/4 cup tomato paste

  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice

  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine

  • 5 cups seafood stock

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 pound manila clams, scrubbed

  • 1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded

  • 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • 1 1/2 pounds assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as cod or salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks

Preparation

  • Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, seafood stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

  • Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.

  • Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Maincarmen JohnsonSeafoodComment