An Old Family Recipe for Cioppino

Though the word Ciopinno and the dish that is popular in the US definitely was popularized near the San Francisco area of California, the roots of the dish and name are from Italy. Records of when this dish appeared vary from the Gold Rush days to 1930 says food historian Jean Anderson.

The Italian flair of this tomato based seafood stew using the daily catch comes from the fisherman from Genoa that immigrated to the US and settled in the Bay area of California. A fisherman's stew most likely originated on the boat because in pre 20th century fishing boats didn't have refrigeration, so they were limited to some canned foods (like tomatoes), vegetables, bread, wine and the catch of the day to make their dinner.

Cioppino Feed Italiano

My dad married into an italian family and shared this version with me.  Over the years I've added a few extra ingredients to "heat" it up a little since I generally serve it in the cold winter months. 




Ingredients

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 lb. white fish, snapper or cod
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of cayenne
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 Red Jalapeno chilis, chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 pounds bay scallops
• 18 small clams
• 18 mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 1 crab, cracked and cleaned
• 1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, cubed

Directions

1. Over medium-low heat olive oil in a large stockpot, add onions, garlic and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.
2. Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you add them). Add chicken broth, fish fillet, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, chili, cayenne, salt, pepper, water and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer on very low heat for 2 hours.
3. Chill sauce quickly to deepen flavors for up to 2 days (minimum overnight) in refrigerator. 
4. Reheat sauce slowly the day you plan to serve.              
5. Stir in the shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and crabmeat. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams open. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread.

            

Wine Recommendation:

A new discovery thanks to the owners of Pasta Pomodoro in Vallejo:

LangeTwins Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc