Cioppino (4 recipe variations) - Fish Stew California and San Franscisco

[Olga Drozd]

Cioppino

The famous fish soup stew originated by Portuguese fishermen in California.

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 medium size onion, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
4 scallions, chopped, with as much of the green as is crisp

4 medium size ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 (8 ounce) can tomato puree
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups dry white wine

12 littleneck clams in their shells, well scrubbed
1 large hard shell crab, split, the legs disjointed
4 lobster tails, cracked
12 oysters in their shells, well scrubbed
1/2 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

In a soup kettle, heat the olive oil and in it cook the four vegetables for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

To the contents of the kettle, add the next five ingredients.  Simmer the mixture, covered, for 1 hour.

Add the wine and continue simmering for 10 minutes.  Adjust the seasoning.

Return the broth to the boil, add the seafood, and cook the cioppino, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the clams and oysters have opened and the shrimp turns pink.  Discard any clams and oysters that have not opened.

Yield: about 12 cups.  Preparation: about 2 1/4 hours.

[Olga Drozd]

Cioppino

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
5 cups fish stock
1 bay leaf

1 pound manila clams, scrubbed
1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 pounds assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks

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.

[Olga Drozd]

CIOPPINO - FISH STEW:

Here is California's gift to the repertory of great fish stews of the world.  Nobody seems quite sure of its origin, but probably it was invented by Portuguese fishermen who simply made use of all the most unusual bits of the day's catch. It's traditionally made with red wine.  Zinfandel, is a good wine to use both in the pot and the glass.  Make it with as few or many fish as you like.

1 pound shrimps in shells
1 live lobster OR large crab, OR 2 frozen rock lobster tails
1 quart clams OR mussels in shells, OR a large can of steamed clams, frozen oysters--any mollusks you can find
2 pounds fresh fish such as bass, OR 1 pound frozen fish steaks
2 ounces dried mushrooms

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large can (2 1/2 cups) Italian peeled tomatoes
2 cups Zinfandel, OR other dry red wine
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup minced parsley

Cut shrimp shells down the back and remove sand vein, but leave shrimps in shells.  Cut lobsters in sections, shell and all. Steam mollusks and throw away empty halves of shells.  Save water.  Cut fish in large bite-sized or serving pieces.  Wash mushrooms well and put to soak in warm water. If dried mushrooms are large, they may need to be cut into strips and stems removed.  Their flavor is important, but they tend to remain tough practically forever.

In large casserole saute onion and pepper in oil until translucent; add garlic and saute until it colors.  Add tomatoes with their juice, wine, basil, mushrooms with their water (strain mushroom water through a paper towel lined sieve--to remove sand particles) and water from steamed mollusks.  If this does not make at least 2 additional cups of liquid, add that much of any fish or chicken stock or tomato juice.  Simmer 15 minutes to marry flavors.  Now add shrimps, lobster, and fish to casserole, cover, and cook on a low fire for 10 minutes.  Test to see if fish is done, and if it is, add the oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and the mollusks in shells.  Cover again and heat for 3 minutes.  Like bouillabaisse, this is a dish that cooks quickly once you get all the parts assembled.  Serve in large soup plates, well sprinkled with parsley, and with an empty plate at the side for shells. Makes 6 servings.

[Olga Drozd]

SAN FRANSISCO CIOPPINO:

This typical cioppino is likely to include crab, shrimp, mussels, clams, sometimes lobster or scallops, and a little fish, maybe swordfish or sea bass.  The broth is a rich, garlicky tomato broth, usually sauced with wine.

FISH STOCK:

Some seafood stores make their own fish stock, which they sell frozen.  Ask whether the stock is at normal strength, or is concentrated and needs to be diluted.  If the store does not carry stock, ask your seafood seller for about 3 pounds of fish bones, heads and tails, from non oily fish.  Make sure the gills are removed, and that the fish parts are washed clean of any blood, and rinse under cold running water for several minutes.

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
6 to 8 parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
fish parts (about 3 pounds)
Water to cover by an inch

Heat the oil in a stockpot.  Add the onions, carrots and celery.  Saute 10 minutes. Add the parsley, bay leaves and fish parts, and enough water to cover by an inch.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes.  Occasionally skim off any scum.  Pour stock through a strainer and discard solids.  Taste stock.  If it tastes weak, return it to the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes longer.

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 leeks, white part only, chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, OR 3 (15 oz.)can of whole tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 cups dry red wine, such as pinot noir
8 cups fish stock, purchased or homemade (recipe above)
Salt to taste
2 large Dungeness crabs, cooked, cracked and cleaned
2 dozen clams in their shells, scrubbed
2 dozen mussels in their shells, scrubbed
1 pound sea bass, swordfish or other sturdy, non oily fish, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined

In a very large stockpot (8-quart or larger stockpot--larger is better to fit crabs once added) heat 1/2 cup oil. Add the onion, leeks, and peppers.  Saute 10 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a very small saute pan.  Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes.  If the garlic starts browning too fast, remove the pan from the heat.  The residual heat in the oil will continue cooking the garlic.  Add the garlic and oil to the stockpot.  (This brings out the garlic flavor better. Otherwise, it seems the garlic is stewed in the juices of the other vegetables and the flavor never develops as well.)

Add to the stockpot the tomatoes, herbs, pepper flakes, wine and fish stock.  Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes.  Taste, add more red pepper flakes if a spicier broth is desired, and add salt if needed.  If you are making the broth in advance, remove it from the heat, cool and refrigerate. About 30 minutes before serving time, return it to the stove and bring it to a boil.

Add seafood in this order: first, the crab, about 15 minutes before serving time.  Add the mussels or clams about 5 minutes later.  Add the fish 7 to 8 minutes before serving time, and finally, about 3 minutes before eating, add the shrimp.

Remove and discard the bay leaves, as well as any mussels or clams whose shells did not open.  Put some seafood in each bowl, making sure everyone gets a selection, then ladle broth over it.  Makes 10-12 servings.