Scott's Various Sh*t

Quick San Francisco Cioppino For 2

 

My recipe 

 
 
 
I used to think Cioppino was an Italian thing, but actually it’s a San Francisco creation. It’s thought that Italian immigrants for Genoa brought the basics of this recipe with them and adapted them to the local seafood. You can certainly substitute any array of fish and shellfish. In fact, my recipe was based on what was in my freezer, plus the mussels.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onions
  • 1 – 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/8 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or less to taste)
  • 1 14 1/2 oz can of tomatoes, diced in juice preferred
  • 1 8 ounce bottle of clam juice or 8 oz of seafood stock (I use dried bonito often*)
  • 1/2  – 1 cup of wine (red or white)
  • 6 – 8 medium shrimp
  • 2 – 4 large scallops
  • 10 mussels
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley chopped and divided

Directions

Heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté 6 – 8 minutes until soft and a bit caramelized.

Add tomatoes, clam juice or other fish liquid, and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 20 minutes or so. Add more wine or water if it gets too thick. I started with red wine and added white wine when it got thick. Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

Add all the seafood and 1/2 the parsley and simmer for until the mussels are open, about 3 – 5 minutes. Once again test the seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve with some warm bread.


* Available in the Japanese section of your grocery store. I used Bonito Dashi powder sometimes and dried flaked bonito others. Be careful with it as it can be on the strong side.