Cioppino is an Italian-American fish stew, said to have originated in San Francisco. It’s made with the “catch of the day” and can include crab, mussels, calamari and salt water fish. This version is adapted from a local fish restaurant, and the broth is made with an easy homemade marinara and clam juice. Not only is this fish healthy, it’s full of flavor. There’s an ingredient that is added to the marinara that you’d never think would give an extra “what’s in this” umami flavor.
Hello Year 2021! I think we are all in agreement that the Year 2020 is best left behind us. It’s been a wild ride, hasn’t it?
Our Christmas was very small. In fact, it was just the two of us and our son. We decided to comply with California’s shelter-in-place order, and our hope is that next year our entire family will finally be together at the table.
My son loves seafood, and I was so excited to see him after many months of his absence. His request was for Cioppino and/or Salmon Wellington (that recipe is coming up). Personally, I don’t recall every having Cioppino, but my son has and he loves it. There’s a very popular restaurant about 15 miles from where we live. One of my favorite recipes sources, “Cook’s Country” went to this very restaurant and said they were shown how their cioppino was made. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few ingredients were withheld by the restaurant– but this recipe is supposed to be as close as they could get.
If you think that cioppino is hard to make– guess again! I was really surprised at how easy this was to make.
I had a bag of sea scallops and shrimp in the freezer. Score! I simply bought some fresh cod and live mussels. Yes, you can use Halibut or any kind of firm white fish. (Salmon isn’t recommended, as that will overpower the flavor of the broth.) Crab is missing, I know. San Franciscans swear that crab is a vital ingredient. Feel free to add it, but this recipe doesn’t use it.
First, you start by marinara. You can definitely make this a day or two ahead if you wish. Onion and sliced garlic is cooked in olive oil until softened.
Add tomato sauce and tomato puree.
Fresh basil, Worcestershire sauce and cinnamon adds a lot of flavor. Cinnamon?! Yes, cinnamon! It’s only 1/4 teaspoon and it’s very subtle. Trust me! Simmer on low heat until thickened.
It’s time to make the cioppino– and believe me, this happens fast! In a Dutch oven, I heated some olive oil, fresh basil, dry sherry, saffon (I know it’s expensive, but I buy mine at our local Trader Joe’s. You only need a pinch) and garlic. I’ve never cooked live mussels before (it kinda creeped me out, I admit). Disclosure: I’m not a fan of mussels, but my son loves them. So, these were for his portion. I put the lid on and set the timer for 2 minutes.
Two minutes later, I lifted the lid and all of the mussels had opened up.
Two bottles of clam juice are poured in, followed by adding in the marinara. Give it a nice stir.
I seasoned the seafood with salt and pepper, and now it’s time to add those in. The key to this recipe is that the shellfish and seafood aren’t cooked for a long period of time. Scallops and shrimp, especially, will turn into an unpleasant rubber texture if it’s overcooked.
On medium heat, nestle the fish and scallops until it just turns opaque (about 2 minutes).
Last, add the shrimp for about two minutes, on a low simmer, covered for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for about 5 minutes.
I sliced, buttered a toasted (in the broiler) some slices of sourdough baguette. Believe me, you really want sourdough bread to mop up the sauce! Serve with lemon wedges.
TASTING NOTES: Honestly, making this recipe was a lot of fun for me. Of course, I was making it for my son and so there’s a lot of love put into the dish. I gave all of the mussels to my son, who was thrilled to enjoy them. As for me, I adore scallops and shrimp. The seafood was tender, and the broth wasn’t thick at all. There was so much flavor– and nobody detected the cinnamon. I knew it was there, and if I really thought hard, I supposed I could taste it just a wee bit. Really, the spice added a lovely element of extra flavor. My husband says he’s not the biggest fan of shellfish. He went back for seconds, and my son had three helpings. Once our restaurants will ease up on COVID restrictions, and will allow dine-in, I want to try the Cioppino at the restaurant that this recipe is adapted from It’s $25.00 a bowl, but I hear it’s worth it! In the meantime, this recipe is one I would definitely make again.
Monterey Bay Red Cioppino
Ingredients
Marinara (can be made a day ahead):
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion halved and sliced thin
- 3 garlic cloves sliced thin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup canned tomato puree
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cioppino
- 1 ½ pounds skinless cod 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (or skinless sea bass fillets or halbut) Any kind of firm white fish
- 12 ounces extra-large shrimp 21 to 25 per pound, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 12 ounces large scallops tendons removed, cut in half horizontally
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound mussels scrubbed and debearded
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads crumbled
- 2 8-ounce bottles clam juice
- 1 12-inch baguette, sliced and toasted
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
FOR THE MARINARA:
- Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, and salt and cook until onion is softened and just beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomato puree, basil, sugar, Worcestershire, and cinnamon and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until marinara is slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
FOR THE CIOPPINO:
- Season fiah, shrimp, and scallops with salt and pepper; set aside. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mussels, basil, sherry, garlic, Worcestershire, saffron, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until mussels start to open, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in clam juice and marinara until combined. Nestle sea bass and scallops into pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until seafood is just turning opaque, about 2 minutes. Nestle shrimp into pot and return to simmer. Cover and cook until all seafood is opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve with baguette slices and lemon wedges.
Notes
Hello, how many does this serve?
6-8 people. Sorry. I’ll
Edit the recipe. Are accordingly