Cioppino

Written by on in Italian, Seafood, Soups

You will need fish stock or sauce would be okay and clam juice for this recipe. You should easily find these both at any of your local grocery store.  If you can only find one of the two that’s ok – you can use just fish sauce or just clam juice. I used both and split the difference between them, which imparts a really distinctive flavor to the final dish.
All the other ingredients are super basic and easy but you need some technique and timing to pull this together to have the perfect recipe. Seafood actually doesn’t need to be cooked too long, otherwise, they get too tough.

I recommend reading my tips first, that way, you  might want to follow some tips there that will affect your grocery-buying or the way you will cook and prepare some ingredients.

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes

Cooking Time: 40-50 mins

Servings: 6=8

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups diced tomatoes or sundried is okay too
  • 1 medium onions, chopped
  • 3-4 garlic chopped
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped
  • 8 ounces of clam juice
  • 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 lb black mussels
  • 1/2 lb scallops
  • 1/2 lb squid
  • 1 lb cod or seabass fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 lb uncooked shrimp (31-40 per pound), peeled and deveined (you can also use shrimp with shell if you prefer)
  • 1 lb of fresh clams,  soak in water first until ready to cook, then drained few minutes before sauteeing
  • 1 pc of crab(you can buy cooked or just crabmeat, whichever you prefer)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley(use half as seasoning then half for toppings)
  • 2 lemon wedges (half for seasoning and half to be squeezed before eating)

Directions:

  • Sautee onions, garlic and once browned, drop tomatoes in. Cook for 4-6 minutes
  • Add the clam juice. Simmer for 5 minutes
  • Add the wine, broth,  fish sauce/stock, vinegar and all the seasoning and spices. Simmer for another 5 minutes
  • Then add the crustaceans batch by batch with 1-2 minutes interval and simmer  for about 10-15 minutes
  • Turn off
  • Serve in a bowl
  • Serve with French baguette

Bon Apetit!

Tips:

  • If you are buying some of the main ingredients cooked, make sure to put them the last so they won’t be overcooked
  • Do not stir as soon as you pour the vinegar. Let the vinegar cook first before mixing
  • You can also buy the stuff without their shells if you don’t feel like eating it with them i.e. clams or crab meat in can and the shrimp

“Cookery is not chemistry. It is an Art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements”. – Xavier Marcel Boulestin (French Chef)

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