Best California Coastal Cioppino Recipes

PHIL'S FISH MARKET CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Put the olive oil, butter, and garlic in a wide, deep pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, but not brown. Add the wine and the clams, and cover. Turn the heat up to medium-high and steam until the clams start to open, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels, cover and steam until the just start to open, about 2 minutes.
• Now stir in the cioppino sauce, the Worcestershire sauce and saffron and bring to a simmer. Add the cracked crabs, if using, and the shrimp, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Then gently stir in the fish, squid and scallops, and simmer until they are all just cooked through, about 5 minutes. (If using cooked crab meat, stir it in very gently the last minute or so of cooking time.)
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic, bay leaves, parsley and basil and cook, stirring, just to warm the garlic-do not let it brown.
• Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, water, clam base, brown sugar, celery salt, Worcestershire sauce, black and red peppers, cinnamon and salt to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large (12-inch) heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 10 minutes, until tender. Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, stock, wine, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. The stock will be highly seasoned.
• Add the seafood in the following order: first the cod, then the shrimp, scallops, and finally the mussels. Do not stir! Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the seafood is cooked and the mussels are open. Stir in the Pernod, being careful not to break up the fish; cover and set aside for 3 minutes for the flavors to blend. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Ladle into large shallow bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot with Garlic Toasts.
• Warm the oil in a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add 1 1/2 quarts water, the wine, tomato paste, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for one hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing on the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. If not, add enough water or white wine to make 1 quart.
• Cool completely, transfer to containers, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice the baguette diagonally in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Depending on the size of the baguette, you should get 20 to 25 slices.
• Lay the slices in one layer on a sheet pan, brush each with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned and crisp. As soon as they're cool enough to handle, rub the top of the toasts with a cut side of the garlic. Serve at room temperature.

CIOPPINO (SAN FRANCISCO SEAFOOD STEW)

Steps:

• For the Seafood Stock: In a large, 8- or 12-quart heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, fennel, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• Add crabs, if using, and shrimp shells, and cook, stirring and scraping, until shells are cooked through and turning red, about 4 minutes.
• Add white wine, bring to a boil, then cook until raw alcohol smell is gone, about 4 minutes. Add fish heads and bones along with the clam juice. Cover with water (at least 2 quarts). Add parsley, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour. Strain seafood stock and reserve until ready to make cioppino. You should have about 2 quarts (1.9L); add enough water to bring total volume of the stock up to 2 1/2 quarts (2.4L), then set aside.
• Meanwhile, for the Roasted Red Pepper Salsa: Working directly over the flame of a gas burner or under a broiler, cook the red bell peppers, turning occasionally, until deeply charred all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, cover with plastic, and let stand 5 minutes.
• Using paper towels, rub charred skin off peppers. Stem and seed peppers, then roughly chop flesh and add to a blender jar or tall, narrow vessel compatible with an immersion blender.
• Add olive oil, lemon juice, chile paste and minced fresh herbs and blend until fairly smooth. Season red pepper salsa with salt, then set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the Cioppino: In a large 8- or 12-quart, heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, fennel, garlic, red pepper flakes, and chile paste (if using). Season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until very soft but not browned, about 15 minutes; lower heat if necessary to prevent browning.
• Add crushed tomatoes and their juices along with the 2 1/2 quarts (2.4L) seafood stock. Bring to a simmer, then add mussels and cook just until they pop open, about 4 minutes. Using tongs and a spider or slotted spoon, lift out and transfer mussels to a bowl. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Add squid and cook at a gentle simmer for 25 minutes. While the squid cooks, shell all but 12 of the mussels, then transfer to a warmed platter; cover with foil and, optionally, a small amount of hot broth to keep warm.
• Add clams and cook until they just begin to pop open, about 6 minutes. Using tongs and a spider or slotted spoon, lift out clams and add to platter with mussels.
• Season halibut with salt, then place in a large strainer and lower into the simmering broth until fully submerged, then cook until halibut is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer halibut to platter with the clams to keep warm.
• Season shrimp with salt, then place in the same strainer and lower into the simmering broth, then cook until just pink, about 1 minute. Transfer shrimp to the platter and keep warm.
• In warmed serving bowls, arrange the mussels (both shell-on and off), clams, halibut, and shrimp. If using crabmeat, add to the strainer and lower into the simmering broth until just warmed through, about 30 seconds, then remove and arrange on the plate. If any of the seafood has cooled too much, you can place it in the strainer and dip it back into the simmering broth before plating. Using a ladle, spoon the broth and squid into each bowl. Garnish with toasted sourdough and serve, passing the red pepper condiment on the side.

SAN FRANCISCO-STYLE CIOPPINO

Steps:

• For the tomato base: In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the carrots, onions, peppers, and celery, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chile, herbs, and seasonings and cook until fragrant. Add the wine, vinegar, Worcestershire, and hot sauce and reduce until the liquid is almost evaporated. Add the tomatoes and all of the fish stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain through a fine strainer, discarding the solids.
• For the seafood: Place the strained liquid into a clean pot and bring to a simmer. Add the crab, clams, mussels, and sea bass, cover the pot, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the prawns and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
• To serve: Divide the seafood into 6 large bowls and ladle the broth over top. Serve with garlic bread.
• In a large pot, add all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain, reserving the broth and discarding the solids.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish 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.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a deep saute pan, over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onions and garlic and saute until tender, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Add the clams, mussels, red wine, chicken stock, marinara, red pepper flakes, shrimp and fish fillet and continue cooking until the clams and mussels are open, the shrimp cooked through and the fish is flaky. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with a side of pasta and good bread, if desired.

SHORTCUT CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat oil in large kettle over moderately high heat 2 minutes. Add onions, stir-fry mix, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and basil and cook, stirring often, until onions are golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, salsa, clam juice, and wine; bring to simmering, adjust heat so mixture bubbles gently, and cook uncovered just until flavors meld, about 20 minutes.
• Add halibut and shrimp and cook uncovered just until shrimp turn pink and fish almost flakes, about 5 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves, season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve with rough country bread.

CALIFORNIA CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Saute onion and garlic over moderate heat in olive oil until soft but not browned.
• Add parsley, tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, water, vinegar and herbs.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes.
• (Basic sauce can be made ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated. Heat sauce before adding to seafood.)
• While sauce is simmering, rinse all fish and seafood in cold water.
• Scrub clams thoroughly.
• Layer all seafood in large kettle, placing clams and mussels on top.
• Pour hot sauce over all.
• Cover tightly.
• Cook over low heat about 20 minutes, or until clams and mussels open and prawns turn pink.
• To serve, ladle hot sauce and some seafood into soup plates or large soup bowls.
• Lot of sour french bread.
• Enjoy.