Cioppino Seafood Stew – California

Cathy: Cioppino from California! I pulled San Francisco local rank and chose one of THE MOST iconic dishes from California ever – and one of my favorites!⁠ ⁠ Cioppino originated in the North Beach area of San Francisco in the 1800’s when Italian immigrant fisherman would share the days catch with other fishermen who came home empty handed. Cioppino is a grab bag of ingredients that can easily change according to what is on hand. ⁠ ⁠

The difference between Cioppino and bouillabaisse? Cioppino is Italian with a tomato-based with fennel broth where bouillabaisse is French and adds saffron to it’s fish stock-based broth with chopped tomatoes added in.⁠ ⁠ I followed an Ina Garten recipe (while barefoot) and enjoyed it with the Husband with sourdough bread (of course) and an Italian Pinot Grigio. ⁠ ⁠

Prep: about 30 min Cook time: 40 min Servings: 6

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups fennel bulb – white part only, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 1/2 cup yellow onion – cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 3 garlic cloves – minced
• 1 teas whole fennel seeds
• 1/2 teas red pepper flakes
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups seafood stock
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine – such as Pinot Grigio
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cod fillets – cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound large shrimp – peeled and deveined
• 1 pound sea scallops – halved
• 1 dozen mussels – scrubbed
• 1 dozen littleneck clams
• 1 tbs anise flavored liqueur – such as Pernot or Pastis
• 3 tbs parsley – minced

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 10 minutes, until tender.
2. Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant
3. Add the tomatoes, stock, wine, 1 tablespoon salt – to taste – 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. Add the seafood in the following order: cod, shrimp, scallops, clams and then mussels. Do not stir. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes until the seafood is cooked and the shellfish open. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
5. Stir in the liqueur, 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.
6. Ladle into large, shallow bowls, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

I served this gorgeous stew with sourdough bread and an Italian Pinot Grigio.

Recipe by Ina Garten