ISO: ISO: anyone have a to-die-for cioppino or bouillabaisse recipe?

In Search Of:
S

shaun-in-to

Well-known member
I don't have much time (or $) to experiment, and I can't afford to serve something I discover is mediocre. There's a well-reviewed cioppino recipe in Gourmet, March 02, which may be my fall-back failing any offerings here. Thanks for any help!

 
As a former San Franciscan, I make cioppino all the time, here's mine:

San Francisco Cioppino Mio

4 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1½ cups YELLOW ONION, finely chopped
1 medium GREEN PEPPER, finely chopped
1 medium RED PEPPER, finely chopped
8 cloves GARLIC, finely chopped
2 bulbs fresh FENNEL, trimmed and chopped

1 28oz can "WHOLE TOMATOES with BASIL"
1 28oz can "CRUSHED TOMATOES with PUREE"
1 6oz can TOMATO PASTE
4 cups FISH STOCK (or combination of clam juice and chicken stock)
1 cup DRY WHITE WINE
1½ cups chopped FRESH PARSLEY (½ cup reserved as garnish)
1 tsp DRY THYME
1 tsp DRY OREGANO
1 pinch SAFFRON THREADS
1 BAY LEAF
1 tsp GROUND RED PEPPER
1 tsp EMERIL'S ESSENCE (or more, to taste)
SALT & PEPPER

3lbs firm-fleshed, chunked and partly frozen fish, (HALIBUT, SHARK, SNAPPPER)
2lbs SNOW CRAB LEGS, partially defrosted & cracked
1½ lbs MANILLA CLAMS, cleaned
1½ lbs SMALL MUSSELS, cleaned and debearded
1½ lbs SHRIMP, peeled and deveined

In a large stock pot, heat the oil. Add the onion, peppers, garlic and fennel. Sauté slowly until soft, about 10 minutes. Do NOT brown.

Add the tomatoes, paste, stock, white wine, parsley, thyme, oregano, saffron, bay leaf, ground red pepper, “essence,” salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Season the fish with a little more “essence.” Add the fish and the crab to the pot. Simmer, covered, another 15 minutes. Then, add the clams, mussels, and shrimp and simmer, covered for 10 more minutes or until clams and mussels have opened (discard any shellfish that hasn't opened, it will HURT you!) and the fish is cooked. Serve in large bowls with extra chopped parsley, a loaf of San Francisco sourdough and a salad, die happy! Serves 8.

 
I've made the one you cite from Gourmet. I didn't care for the red wine in it, probably just

personal preference, but if I remember correctly, some reviewers also mentioned it.

 
Here's one I've been making for many years. Rec: San Francisco-Style Cioppino

San Francisco-Style Cioppino

1/4 cup olive oil or salad oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large green pepper, chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 28-oz can tomatoes, undrained
1 cup dry red or white wine (I prefer using white wine)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dry basil, or more if desired
1/2 tsp oregano leaves, or more if desired
1 dozen fresh clams in shells
1 lb. medium-sized raw shrimp (about 30 count)
1/2 lb. scallops
2 large Dungeness crabs (about 2 lbs. Each),
cleaned and cracked) or king crab pieces in shell
optional: 1/2 to l lb. fresh fish such as snapper, halibut or other firm-fleshed fish

In a large kettle (at least 6 quarts), heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, green pepper and parsley. Cook, stirring often until onion is soft. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes and their liquid (break up with a spoon), wine, bay leaf, basil and oregano. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until slightly thickened. (Cool, cover and chill, if made ahead).

Meanwhile, scrub clams to remove sand. Shell and devein shrimp. Reheat broth to simmering if made ahead. Add the clams, shrimp, scallops and crab (and fish if used). Cover and simmer gently about 20 minutes or until clams open and shrimp turn pink. Ladle into serving bowls.

Fun to have guests wear bibs. Serve cioppino with fresh french bread and butter and a tossed green salad.

Pat’s notes: This is the traditional Cioppino served at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco...definitely a four star recipe, in my book.

 
This is lovely too. Rec: Zarzuela de Mariscos (Catalonian Shellfish Stew)

Zarzuela de Mariscos (Catalonian Shellfish Stew)

a 1-1/2 lb. live lobster (or crab)
12 large raw shrimp in their shells
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 small sweet red or green peppers, deribbed, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped serrano ham or substitute prosciutto or other lean smoked ham
6 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup blanched almonds, pulverized in a blender or with a nut grinder or mortar and pestle
1 large bay leaf, crumbled
1/8 tsp ground saffron or saffron threads crushed with a mortar and pestle or with the back of a spoon
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
12 mussels, washed, scrubbed and with black tufts removed
12 small clams, washed and thoroughly scrubbed
1/2 lb. sea scallops, cut in half

With a cleaver or large, heavy knife, chop off the tail section of the lobster at the point where it joins the body. Then cut the tail crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Twist or cut off the large claws, and cut the body of the lobster in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the gelatinous sac (stomach) in the head and the long white intestinal vein which is attached to it, but leave the greenish brown tomalley (liver) and the black coral (roe) if there is any.

Shell the shrimp but leave the tail shell attached. With a small, sharp knife, devein them by making a shallow incision down their backs and lifting out the intestinal vein with the point of the knife. Set the lobster and shrimp aside.

In a heavy 6-to-8quart casserole, heat the olive oil over moderate heat until a light haze forms above it. Add the onions, garlic, and red or green peppers, and, stirring frequently, cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not brown.

Stir in the ham and cook for a minute or two. Then add the tomatoes, pulverized almonds, bay leaf, saffron, salt and a few grindings of pepper, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Cook briskly for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid in the pan evaporates and the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape lightly in a spoon.

Add the water, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir thoroughly, then drop in the lobster, mussels and clams. Cover the casserole tightly, reduce the heat to moderate and cook for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and scallops, cover and cook 5 minutes longer. Discard any clams or mussels that have not opened.

Taste the zarzuela for seasoning and serve it directly from the casserole, sprinkled with parsley if you like.

Pat’s notes: This was a wonderful main course served by a former boss at a pot-luck dinner party. Other nice accompaniments were:

Tapas: Potatoes alioli, Spanish meatballs in a saffron sauce, and Spanish olives
Mixed lettuce salad with vinaigrette and grapefruit sections
French bread from Grace Bakery
Pumpkin cheesecake

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top