 |
| Zoetrope Studios (formerly Columbus Tower/Sentinel Building) North Beach neighborhood - San Francisco (image source) |
Cioppino is an Italian fish stew originally popularized in America in the North Beach neighborhood of San Franciso (one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city). It has many commonalities with bouilabaisse (another gorgeous fish stew - French) and is knock your socks off delicious. The stew can made with any available local fresh seafood and shellfish - so a cioppino in San Francisco would be different than one made on the Gulf Coast, for instance.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
1 quart clams or mussels
1 cup red or white wine
½ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 ounces dried mushrooms, soaked in water till soft
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
3 pounds sea bass, striped bass, or other firm-fleshed fish, cut into serving pieces
1 pound crabmeat
1 pound raw shrimp, shelled
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 quart clams or mussels
1 cup red or white wine
½ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 ounces dried mushrooms, soaked in water till soft
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
3 pounds sea bass, striped bass, or other firm-fleshed fish, cut into serving pieces
1 pound crabmeat
1 pound raw shrimp, shelled
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Method:
In a large stockpot, steam the clams or mussels in one cup red or white wine until they open. Discard any that don’t, and remove the meat from the shells.
Set clams or mussels aside and strain wine broth through a fine cloth or mesh sieve and reserve. Heat olive oil in a large pot, and add onion, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms. Cook 3 minutes, then add tomatoes. Cook the mixture for four minutes. Add the reserved broth, tomato paste, and red wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, and taste again for seasoning.
Add the sea bass. Cook just until done, then add the clams or mussels, crabmeat, and shrimp. Simmer just until the shrimp are cooked. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty French or Italian bread.
There are many different versions of cioppino and once you know the basics, it's easy to cook and to create local variations. I remember best going out on Puget Sound with my granddaddy in his boat, setting crab pots and fishing through the day. Whatever we caught went into the cioppino my grandmother made for us and it was one of the best cappers to a gorgeous day.
In a large stockpot, steam the clams or mussels in one cup red or white wine until they open. Discard any that don’t, and remove the meat from the shells.
Set clams or mussels aside and strain wine broth through a fine cloth or mesh sieve and reserve. Heat olive oil in a large pot, and add onion, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms. Cook 3 minutes, then add tomatoes. Cook the mixture for four minutes. Add the reserved broth, tomato paste, and red wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, and taste again for seasoning.
Add the sea bass. Cook just until done, then add the clams or mussels, crabmeat, and shrimp. Simmer just until the shrimp are cooked. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty French or Italian bread.
There are many different versions of cioppino and once you know the basics, it's easy to cook and to create local variations. I remember best going out on Puget Sound with my granddaddy in his boat, setting crab pots and fishing through the day. Whatever we caught went into the cioppino my grandmother made for us and it was one of the best cappers to a gorgeous day.
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.
OMG yum. I have both James Beard cookbooks but never made his cioppino. I need to correct that omission. Add some crusty homemade bread and you'd have a slice of heaven.
ReplyDelete