Fig.1. Seafood soup from San Fransisco
I don’t often take requests, but my biggest American fan long
ago asked me for a recipe for cioppino and it’s time I oblige.
Cioppino is a seafood soup from San
Francisco, the Italian association comes mainly from two Italian dishes: Cacciocco
and Burrida. Cacciucco is a Tuscan fish stew that originated in Livorno. Ingredients varied as it was based on the
catch of the day, usually, the smaller and less meaty fish and mollusks went into the stew,
the larger specimens fetched the most money and therefore were sold. Burrida, also from Liguria, incorporates
vegetables in the stew and is usually cooked for much longer, there are many
recipes all depending on which coastal town you’re in.
Many food historians assert that old world dishes
such as cacciocco or burrida directly influenced New World dishes like
Cioppino. Italian and
Portuguese immigrants who fished the waters of San Francisco combined tradition and environment and created something truly American owing to the American seafood.
You can find similar dishes in coastal towns and cities all over the
world that have, or have not been influenced by one another. (there's a point or conclusion to the notion of 'food connections' I'm trying to figure out, haven't figured it out yet. Keep you posted.)
Cioppino
Serves 4
This is a very simple soup to prepare. You can use whatever seafood or fish you
like, and you can add as much seafood as you like, as long as you add enough stock
and tomato puree to just cover the seafood.
And always add the shrimp last, they only need a couple of minutes to
cook, as soon as the shrimp turn pink, they’re done. Make sure you include at least two crustaceans
with shells on: crab, lobster, mussels or clams are perfect, the shells and the sea water in them add tremendous flavor.
Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves, whole
1 large onion, finely diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup white wine
15 to 18 mussels, cleaned and beards removed
8 to 12 medium size clams with shells
8 to 12 large scallops
1 cup cod pieces, chopped in 1” squares
8 to 12 medium size raw shrimp, (shells removed but tails
on)
2 cans cherry tomatoes
1 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
chicken stock, as needed enough to cover
2 bay leaves
S&P
Fig.2. The shells add flavour.
Directions:
Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot set over
medium heat. Add the garlic onion and
celery and sauté until translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine, the
mussels, and the clams and cover pot with lid.
Keep the lid on and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes (shake the pot around
once and a while just to move the mollusks around.) Remove lid and simmer
uncovered for another 2 minutes. Add the
crushed tomatoes and the stock and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the scallops and cod
cubes, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, add the shrimp, parsley and season with
salt and pepper and continue to simmer.
As soon as the shrimp turn pink (about 1 to 2 minutes depending on the
size of the shrimp), remove from heat and serve immediately.
