Receta Cioppino
San Francisco stole my heart during my first visit many years ago. On that trip, my cousin, Delia, and my best friend, Bill, joined me for a trek up the Northern California coast to Ashland, Oregon. We spent the first few days exploring and eating our way through the city. Known for its cuisine, San Francisco did not disappoint us with its plethora of culinary offerings.
My first experience with cioppino was at a small, intimate, Italian seafood restaurant in the city. Torn between several entrees that were all equally droolworthy, we decided to turn the evening into a food orgy and order them all. After a couple of hours with glasses of wine; plates of shrimp, scallops, dover sole, and dungeness crab; and a bowl of cioppino, we waddled out of the restaurant engorged, but happy.
Cioppino originated in the North Beach area of San Francisco by Italian immigrants in the mid to late nineteenth century. Local fisherman pitched in leftovers from the day’s catch, including dungeness crab, shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, and fish, to a communal pot with wine, tomatoes, and herbs. The origins of the name remain unclear, but some say that dish’s name comes from the word ciuppin, meaning “to chop” or “chopped”.
I’ve been making cioppino for years and when served with sourdough garlic bread, it’s always a big hit at my dinner table. The good news is that it’s a very light and healthy dinner if, and I repeat, if, you don’t OD on the garlic bread!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 fennel bulb, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 cup copped shallots
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups seafood stock (or chicken stock)
- 1 1/2 cups white wine
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound bay scallops
- 18 to 24 mussels
- 1 1/2 pound salmon (or your favorite fish) , cut into 3/4 inch pieces
- Fennel fronds (for garnish)
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Transfer fennel and shallots to pot and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and continue sauteing for 1 minute.
2. Add seafood stock, wine, and tomatoes and stir to combine. Add bay leaf, salt, red and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.
3. Add mussels to the pot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add shrimp and salmon and continue to simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add scallops and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve immediately with fennel frond garnish and crusty sourdough garlic bread.
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http://www.southernboydishes.com/2014/01/24/cioppino/