One Fish, Two fish – Yay Cioppino!

With dinner club we have hit Asian fusion, Mexican, now it’s time for some Italian flair! Since dinner club is about exploring the wider culinary community (well it’s actually about eating good food but if it happens to be a variety even better…), Anna and I decided to avoid the staples like spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna. Some of the most memorable Italian dishes I have ever eaten have been Christmas Eve dinners celebrating the Feast of the Seven Fishes.  

Let’s be realistic. There is no way I can make seven different fish dishes. Nor do I actually want to make seven different fish dishes. But it is a good inspirational point. Hence cioppino. 

I looked through a few difference recipes. After getting an idea of the basics, I was able to combine a few different recipes and make a list of the seafood I wanted to include:

• Anchovies 
• Shrimp
• Cod
• Mussels
• Squid
• Scallops

Oh yeah, that's only 6. But hey, it's not Christmas Eve and I'm not Italian so that's cool. I wanted to add little neck clams but they didn't look too hot so I had to pass.

As a side note, the title of this post is dedicated to my niece. She seems to like Dr. Seuss and she loves to cook with me (or maybe she falls asleep in the baby bjorn while I cook) so I figured she would one day appreciate this. 

Anyway, cioppino is amazingly delicious. Let's begin.

Aprons anyone?

Might as well start with the prep. Get to chopping those onions and celery then set aside.

In the bottom of your trusty dutch oven, add oil, red pepper, dried spices, minced garlic, anchovies and fresh bay leaves.

Cook over medium-high heat stirring regularly until the anchovies break down and the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add celery and tomato paste and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add wine and simmer for an additional 10 minutes until reduced by half.

Time for tomatoes and chicken stock. Also add the fresh parsley and thyme. Simmer covered for an additional 30 minutes.

While this bubbles away, prepare the seafood.

Rinse and peel the shrimp. I prefer mine without tails (so I can eat them faster...)


Portion and season the fish. Basically cut them into  1" x 2" pieces and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can use sea bass, halibut, or cod (as I did). Depends which is in season and available at your store. You just need to make sure that whichever fish you choose will hold up in the stew.

Scrub the mussels and toss out any which have opened.

The squid and scallops might need to be rinsed but that's probably it.

The base is probably ready by now. So the trick to making it as delicious as possible is to add the seafood at the right time. Everything needs slightly different times to cook, so if you follow the proper order, you're golden.

Here is a list of when I add the fish with their cooking times. I used small scallops because I thought they would be easier to eat (hence less cooking time)...

• Shrimp 10-12 minutes
• Mussels 10-12 minutes
• Scallops 8-10 minutes depending on the size
• Cod 6-8 minutes
• Squid 6-8 minutes

You have two options: you can stir the soup VERY gently (do not break up the fish)! Alternatively you can shake the pot to mix things up. Obviously be careful because the last thing you want is hot broth over the side onto your hands.

Discard bay leaf and add parsley and thyme.

Hopefully you have focaccia or some delightful crusty bread to accompany your stew. It's also delicious to serve over angel hair pasta cooked until al dente.

And who would complain if there was tiramisu for dessert? Correct answer = no one.

Ladle it up and share it with everyone you know!

Cioppino

By Louise S.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
• 5-6 anchovie fillets, drained
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 fresh bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
• 2 lbs white fish fillets, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1 lb large shrimp, deveined and peeled
• 1 lb sea scallops, rinsed
• 1 lb mussles, scrubbed clean
• 1/2 lb calamari, cut into rounds

Instructions

1. In a large dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil, anchovies, garlic, bay leaf, oregano and crushed red pepper to taste. Anchovies will melt and infuse into the oil.
2. Add chopped onions and cook 5 minutes until translucent. Add celery and tomato paste and stir constantly for 1 minute.
3. Add wine and simmer for 10 minutes, until reduced by half.
4. Add canned tomatoes, broth, parsley and thyme. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
5. Prepare the seafood and season the fish lightly with salt and pepper.
6. Add shrimp and mussles, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add scallops, simmer an additional 2-3 minutes. Add fish and squid and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Shake the pot to mix ingredients but do not stir to avoid breaking up fish.
7. Remove lid and discard any mussels that do not open. Ladle stew into shallow bowls over angel hair pasta. Devour

Yield: 4 quarts of soup