Cioppino may have it roots in Italy but San Francisco has made taken it as it's own. The football game tonight triggered memories of this dish. A wonderful seafood stew for which there are many recipes but this variation turned out very well. I posted this photo some time ago but never added a recipe. I have had several requests and have finally gotten around to putting a recipe together as best I could remember.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large Head Fennel
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 Large Can of Tomatoes (Crushed)
- 2 cups fish stock
- 2 cups white wine
- 4 cloves chopped garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 crab (about 2-lbs.), cracked and cleaned, or 1-lb. frozen crabmeat thawed
- 2 pounds firm fleshed fish cut into dice (halibut is what I use)
- 24 large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 12 mussels
- 1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
- A Crouton made from a baguette
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the fennel and diced onion and garlic till soft. Add tomatoes, white wine and fish stock and simmer together for around thirty five minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper flakes to your liking. If sauce is too thick thin out with stock or water. Add all remaining ingredients except mussels and allow to cook for five or six minutes finally add mussels ad cook until mussels have all fully opened. Serve in a large bowl with crispy crouton.
I know in Italian cooking adding cheese to a fish dish is just not done put I put some shaved Parmesan on top and garnished with flat leaf parsley.
I realized after posting there are no mussels visible in photo (you can see one peeking from under the crouton).
