Cioppino

The eponymous dish of San Francisco, this seafood stew is the classic dish served on Christmas Eve. I learned how to make this dish (the proper way) by sitting at the counter of Little Joe’s Restaurant in North Beach and watching the line cooks pump out bowl after steaming bowl. There are 2 secrets: use a tremendous amount of wine, and build the base of the broth by sautéing half of the fish filets first, with the onions and garlic, until it completely breaks down and is totally incorporated in the sauce. This is a messy meal — eat while wearing old clothes that you don’t mind getting stained. Serve with crusty sourdough bread.

Seafood (Per bowl served): •3 large shrimp, or spot prawns, in shell
•2 legs and ¼ body Dungeness Crab, cleaned, cracked, and bodies quartered by your fish monger
•4 mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded or clams or 2 each
•3 large 2×3 inch chunks of white firm fleshed fish, such as halibut, monkfish or both

Sauce (based on 4 servings, increase accordingly) •2 28oz cans of diced tomatoes
•1 bottle 750ml dry white wine
•½ yellow bell pepper, diced
•8 cloves garlic, minced
•1 large yellow onion, chopped
•½ lb halibut, or other firm fleshed fish, diced
•1 tbs red pepper flakes
•½ cup, loosely packed, chopped fresh oregano
•½ cup, loosely packed, chopped fresh marjoram
•1 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a heavy duty dutch oven or stock pot:
Sauté onion and bell pepper in oil until soft, 3 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and diced halibut and sauté until fish is cooked, breaking it apart with a spatula. Add wine, increase heat and reduce by ¼. Add tomatoes and bring back to a boil. Add mussels, crab, and herbs and lower heat to just a simmer. When mussels start to open add fish chunks, after 5 min add shrimp and season with salt and pepper if necessary. When shrimp start to color serve in large bowls, enjoy! Serve with pasta or creamy polenta.