Cioppino: San Francisco–Style Seafood Stew

Cioppino is a grand San Francisco Seafood dish. Cioppino is modeled on the common coastal Italian "Zuppa di Pesca", ("Soup of Seafood"), which is cooked as village specialties all along those ancient coasts, and some of which bore names that came off the tongue sounding like cioppino. San Francisco's fishermen and their families have been Italian, and Portuguese, for generations, and this Cioppino recipe is derived from the old fishing and cooking traditions of these seafaring peoples, the restaurateurs of San Francisco, and the stunning variety and quality of seafood that the coastal waters there provide. I have always been curious about how to make this dish myself. With that in mind, it's time to share this recipe from Epicurious.com with everybody.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Active time: 45 min

Total time: 1 1/2 hr

Main ingredients: White Wine, Scallop, Shrimp, Snapper, Clam, Parsley

 

Ingredients

• 7 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 Turkish bay leaf or 1/2 California bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black or yellow pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil and some butter
• 1 green and/or red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1 (28- to 32-ounces) can whole plum tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
• 1 cup bottled clam juice (or from a whole fish and use the head and bones to make fish stock)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 (1-pound) king crab leg, thawed if frozen
• 18 small (2-inch) hard-shelled clams (1 1/2 pound) such as littlenecks, scrubbed
• 1 pound skinless red snapper or halibut fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20), shelled (tails and bottom segment of shells left intact) and deveined
• 3/4 pound sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

• Garnish: shredded fresh basil leaves and small whole leaves
• Accompaniment: focaccia or sourdough bread

 

Preparation

Cook garlic, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in oil in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, clam juice, and broth and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

While stew is simmering, add crab pieces and clams to stew and simmer, covered, until clams just open, 5 to 10 minutes, checking every minute after 5 minutes and transferring opened clams to a bowl with tongs or a slotted spoon. (Discard any unopened clams after 10 minutes.)
Lightly season fish fillets, shrimp, and scallops with salt and add to stew, then simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf, then return clams to pot and gently stir in parsley and basil.  Serve cioppino immediately in large soup bowls.  Enjoy!