CIOPPINO—Fisherman’s Stew

The quintessential San Francisco seafood stew is adaptable everywhere fish, seafood, fresh vegetables, and summer intersect.  Spicy broth and whatever seafood is fresh—clams, shrimp, calamari, or in this recipe, scallops, team up with slightly firm white fish, like haddock, tilapia or cod.  Make it as brothy or dense as you like.  This is a dish that had its origins in “catch of the day” plus whatever seafood was available.  The basic recipe serves two—add some crusty bread and a green salad, and there’s dinner. Just keep adding to the pot to feed your party.

• 4 new red potatoes, quartered and boiled
• one 5 oz fish filet, cut into 1” pcs
• 4 oz scallops (or peeled shrimp, or pre-cooked small calamari rings))
• 1 doz clams or mussels or 4 oz can of chopped clams
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, rosemary)
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1-2 tsp paprika (to taste)
• Red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 to 1½ cup stock or broth (fish, seafood or chicken) or 8 oz bottle of clam juice
• 3 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced
• 2 tblsps capers
• 2 tblsps parsley, chopped
• Olive oil, salt and pepper

Keep cooked potatoes warm.  Sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.  Add seasonings, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for a minute or so. Add wine, stock or clam juice and tomatoes then simmer gently for about 10 min.  Add the fish pieces, seafood, potatoes and capers and simmer covered for another 4-5 minutes, until fish/seafood is cooked through and/or shellfish have opened.  Garnish with parsley.

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