What’s Cooking @ Corinna’s Corner?

Seafood Cioppino!

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter

2 medium onion, chopped

1 bulb of fresh fennel, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch parsley leaves, minced

2 (14.5-ounce) cans plum tomatoes, undrained and cut up

2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon basil leaves, dried

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, dried

1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves, dried

1 1/2 cups dry white wine (or red, whichever you prefer)

Seafood options:

Option 1: Use frozen seafood medley- buy from Costco

OR

Option 2: Using Fresh seafood listed below or use whatever seafood you like to eat

12 small hard-shell clams in shell

12 mussels in shell

1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined**

1 1/2 pounds bay scallops

1 1/2 pounds fish fillets (halibut, cod, or salmon), cut into bite-size chunks

1 1/2 cups Dungeness crab meat, flaked

Instructions:

In a large soup pot or cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-low heat, melt butter; add onions, garlic, fennel, and parsley.  Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. 

Add tomatoes, clam juice, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, and red or white wine; bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.  If sauce becomes too thick, thin with additional wine or water.

NOTE: At this point, stock may be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days before using.  To use stock that has been refrigerated, reheat to boiling and then reduce heat to low, until broth is simmering gently.

If using option1 frozen seafood:

Pour entire package into stock and cook for approx 8 min or until seafood is cooked. Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste.

If using option 2 fresh seafood:

Scrub clams and mussels with a small stiff brush under cold running water; remove beards from mussels.  Discard any open clams or mussels.  Cover with cold salted water; let stand 5 minutes and then pour off the salted water. 

Gently stir in the clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, fish fillets, and crab meat to the prepared stock.  Cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams pop open and shrimp are opaque when cut.  NOTE: Do not overcook the seafood (the seafood continues to cook after it is removed from the pan).  Remove bay leaves; season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Remove cioppino from heat and ladle broth and seafood into large soup bowls and serve with garlic bread, sourdough, or pasta.

(photos courtesy of Pearl Yee)