I love the food of San Francisco. In a previous job, I had the opportunity to travel there on business several times a year and couldn’t wait to get out of the meetings in order to go explore the wonderful restaurant scene in the city. Whether is it the Italian restaurants along Columbus Avenue in North Beach, authentic Asian flare in Chinatown, student cooking at the California Culinary Academy or even a whole host of garlic at The Stinking Rose, the food is great.
Nothing is better in San Francisco than the seafood. One of my favorites there is the Cioppino. For those uninitiated, Cioppino is a seafood stew where the ingredients are made up of the catch of the day. Often filled with many types of shellfish, it also typically includes regular fish as well. Served in a tomato based broth, it is a great way to get a variety of fresh seafood all in one dish.
Such a great taste of the sea.
While it is very easy to make, it is not an inexpensive dish. Pounds of fresh seafood (at least here in Cleveland) runs you quite a bit.
Fry up the onions.
Stir in the tomatoes.
Make your broth.
And add the seafood.
I would add a little hot sauce into the broth the next time I make it.
Cioppino
Prep Time: 10 Min | Cook Time: 45 Min | Servings: 6 to 7 servings |
Ingredients:
- 3/8 cup butter
- 1 onions, chopped
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 1 bay leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cups white wine
- 3/4 pounds large shrimp – peeled and deveined
- 3/4 pounds bay scallops
- 9 small clams
- 9 mussels, cleaned and debearded
- 3/4 cups crabmeat
- 3/4 pounds cod fillets, cubed
Directions:
1. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large stockpot, add onions, garlic and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.
2. Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you add them). Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, water and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Stir in the shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and crabmeat. Stir in fish, if desired. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams open. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread!
Nutritional Info:
Total Fat: 12.7g Cholesterol: 161mg Sodium: 478mg Total Carbs: 8.9g Dietary Fiber: 1.3g Protein: 34.1g
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Wow! That looks and sounds wonderful.
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Reminds me a little of bouillabaisse – looks delicious!
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Ohh – that sounds so delicious… All that glorious seafood. I’d add the hot sauce as you suggest, or at least a good shake of cayenne powder. And personally, I’d omit the chicken stock and the tomatoes to leave the flavour of the seafood in all its delicate, aromatic glory. (There’s something about tomatoes with fish that sets my teeth on edge, but I may be alone in that!).
Must get back to San Francisco. Seafood AND SF sourdough bread.
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You make it look so simple–nice!
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It’s not just the west coast – here in the northeast we get some really good seafood. My favorite is the scallops.
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Well I live about 25 min from San Francisco. I love to have and evening dinner and hang out there. Love the blog Thanks for sharing.
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Been to San Fran and this looks delis!..thanks for sharing
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Ate at Scoma’s on Fisherman’s Wharf a couple of weeks ago. They offer Cioppino two ways. One way has the clams, crabs, mussels, etc. in the shells. The other way they do all the work and remove the shells so all you get is the meat. Frankly, I like the first way, but a lot of people order it the other way. Either way…..YUM!
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Good one shared this on FB
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Fisherman’s Wharf! Very nice!
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My husband thanks you for this recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
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Try adding a little bit of clam juice if you make this again. It totally adds a third dimension to the dish. You just reminded me of living in SF and how my favorite cioppino was at the Gold Spike on Columbus, now closed! Now, my favorite spot is in Moss Landing at Phil’s Fish Market. Phil’s cioppino went against Bobby Flay’s and won by a narrow margin! Your recipe looks delicious! Thanks for posting this 😉
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Can’t beat a hearty seafood dish with a nice crisp glass of wine.
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Are you following the Tour?
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Gorgeous… and while not inexpensive, definitely worth indulging in!
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Loved SF and its cuisine, probably best part of our west coast trip last November.
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