Cioppino

Cioppino is an Italian-American fish stew created in San Francisco in the late 1800s.  Just like so many dishes born out of necessity, Cioppino was developed by Italian-American fishermen to use up the catch they weren't able to sell.   But don't think that this a primitive dish.  This fish stew has a great depth of flavor.  It is impressive for a dinner party, but can also work as a quick weeknight meal.

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
​1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
2 shallots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (more or less on your taste)
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
1-14oz can of cherry tomatoes or 1-14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups of seafood stock
1 bay leaf
Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Fish:
You can use any type of fish you want in this stew.  The only thing I would suggest is use at least 3 types of seafood.  It makes a nice variety.  Here is what I used:

• 1lb. mussels
• 1lb. clams
• 1/2 lb. of raw shrimp - You want it to cook in the broth.  Cooked shrimp will become rubbery.
• 1/2lb. of haddock - Any firm fish works well here.

Somethings to know about shellfish.  

One, buy from a reputable place.  If the place you buy fish from has a pungent fish smell, they may not have the freshest fish.  If the place has a slight fish and sea smell, they have fresh fish.

Two, be careful when buying them in net bags.  I once bought a net bag of mussels, didn't inspect them, and the ones in the middle were dead.  If you can only get them in the bag, look through the netting and inspect those in the middle.  How do you know if they are dead?  If a mussel or clam has an open shell, tap the shell on a countertop or flat surface a few times.  If it starts to close it's shell, it is alive, good.  If the shell stays open, toss it out. When cooking with shellfish, the shells should be closed tightly before cooking.  Once cooked, the shells will open so you can get to the meat.  If after cooking, some are still closed, toss them.  

Before cooking - shells closed completely
After cooking - shells open wide

Three, store your shellfish in the refrigerator on ice and uncovered.  Never cover or buy shellfish that is wrapped in plastic.  They will be dead.  They need to breathe.

Four, pre-soak your shellfish in a bowl with a couple of tablespoons flour and cool water for about 25 minutes before you cook them.  The shellfish will drink up some of the flour-water, won't like it, and will reject it out.  Why do this?  Some of the shellfish have a little grit inside their shells.  This eliminates the possibility of having that grit or sand in your stew.  If you have ever had a gritty shellfish dish you know what I mean.  Yuk!

After the 25 minutes, just pour into a strainer and give a good rinse.

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and cook until they begin to soften.  Next add the garlic, red pepper flakes, a teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Continue to cook for 2 minutes.  Next, add the tomato paste and coat all the veggies in the pan.

Now, add the tomatoes with their juice.  I love these cans of Mutti Cherry Tomatoes.  When we went to Sicily last year we took a cooking class that included shopping for the ingredients before the class.  Our instructor explained that Mutti was the most popular brand used in that region.  The taste was superior.  Ever since then, I try to buy Mutti products when I can find them.  These cherry tomatoes are little gems.  They are sweet and perfect for this dish or any other for that matter.
In goes the white wine.  Give it a minute to burn off some of the alcohol.  You want the wine flavor, not the alcohol taste.  Add the fish stock and bay leaf.  Give a stir, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  This gives all the ingredients time to blend in the sauce.

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After 20 minutes remove the cover and add the clams and mussels.  Cover and continue to cook over medium-high heat.  The mussels and clams should cook in about 8-10 minutes.  Just keep checking to see if the shells are open.  Once they are open, give a stir and add your fish and shrimp.  Cover and cook for approximately 3 minutes.  You want the fish and shrimp to cook through but not over-cook.  This goes fast.  Taste the broth for salt, remove the bay leaf, ladle into bowls, and top with chopped parsley.  Grab some crusty bread for dipping and enjoy!