Cioppino

Description:

This seafood stew has its origins in San Francisco, California, and was created in the mid 1800’s by Italian immigrants who worked as fishermen in the area. The dish is based on a similar type of fish stew from Italy, but is unique to the Bay Area as it uses seafood from the region such as halibut and Dungeness crab, among others.

Ingredients:

• 4 Dungeness crab clusters, cooked or raw

• 12 shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1/2 lb. of halibut, cut into large pieces (225 g)

• 1 lb. mussels

• 1 lb clams

• 2 cups fish stock

• 1/2 medium onion, diced

• 1/2 bulb of fennel, sliced

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1 cup crushed tomatoes

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt & pepper

• Toasted sourdough bread, drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with a clove of garlic

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and heat over medium-high. Add the fennel, onion & garlic, and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Then add the wine, and cook for a minute until the alcohol cooks off. Then add the stock, tomatoes, bay leaf & chili flakes. Turn heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.

In a separate large pot, add the mussels and clams with 1/2 cup of water. Turn the heat to high and cover. Steam until the shells open and discard any that don’t open. Add the cooking juice to the soup pot.

In the soup pot, add the shrimp and halibut, and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the crab claws at the same time if raw, and if they are pre-cooked, add them afterwards. Add the mussels and clams to the pot. Season to taste with salt & pepper, then serve in a bowl with the toasted bread on the side.

Notes:

• You can use a variety of seafood for this dish - aside from those listed in the above recipe, other common ingredients include squid and scallops.