Cioppino my way...

The other night I made Cioppino (or at least my version of it) for the first time. My sister has made a version of this before and I loved it. I also saw a Cioppino recipe on CAB Cooks' blog so I wanted to try it out. I made a few changes with the amount of oil and vegetables. So here goes...

(MY BASTARDIZED) CIOPPINO

(Adapted from Saveur’s Tadich Grill version. See the original version here from CAB Cooks' post)
My substitutions and shortcuts in yellow. Sorry I didn't really go by the exact measurements for the seafood. I played it by ear with what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

•1 cup 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 16 tbsp 3 tbsp. butter

•1 medium  onion, peeled and chopped

•2 medium carrots 4 small carrots, peeled, trimmed, and chopped

•1 rib 2 ribs celery, chopped

•1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

•1 leek 2 leeks , white part only, trimmed, cleaned, and chopped

•1⁄2 small fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped  North Park Produce was out of fennel so I didn't include this

•2 28-oz. cans crushed Italian tomatoes (I used only 1 28 oz can, plus one 14 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes AND one 14 oz can of regular diced tomatoes. The fire roasted tomatoes added a nice touch because of the blackened roasted skins. Gave it a smoky flavor!)

•2 tbsp. tomato paste

•4 cups fish or seafood stock (can also use water) I used 4 bottles of clam juice which was equivalent to 4 cups

•4 bay leaves

•1 tsp. dried oregano

•1 tsp. dried thyme

•1 tsp. dried basil

•2 pinches cayenne pepper

•Salt and freshly ground black pepper

•2 cloves 6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped, divided

•1 1⁄2 lbs. halibut filet, cut into large pieces (I just used the  halibut pack from Trader Joe's)

•16 sea scallops (I used 1/2 of the Trader Joe's package of jumbo Japanese sea scallops)

•16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 1/2 of the Trader Joe's package of cooked tail off shrimp)


•1⁄2 lb. raw bay shrimp, if available, or smallest shrimp available, peeled


•12 oz. crabmeat

•2 cups + 1/2 cup dry white wine

•16 manila clams, scrubbed (I used 2 packages of cleaned and cooked clams in their shells from Seafood City)

•1⁄2 bunch parsley, chopped

Directions:

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil and 8 3 tbsp. of the butter in a large (6-quart) Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes. Add carrots, celery, peppers, leeks 1/2 the garlic and fennel and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 4 cups fish stock (or water), bay leaves, oregano, thyme, basil, and cayenne and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.

What the fkg fk! There's no way I was going to stand over a stove for 2 hours! Hell no. So, I made it a mere 30 minutes.

Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil, 8 tbsp. butter, and remaining garlic in a large, heavy skillet over high heat until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Working in batches, cook halibut and shrimp for 1–2 minutes on each side. Transfer seafood with a slotted spoon to Dutch oven, cover and simmer for 10–15 minutes. If using raw crab meat, add now.
 Okay, I skipped this whole section!

Why?

Because I was lazy. But really, because the majority of my seafood (with the exception of the jumbo Japanese sea scallops and the fish) was already cooked. I didn't see or feel the need to add more oil to the recipe and to add more steps to an already tedious process. I threw in the fish first, then added the scallops about 5-8 minutes later. Then I added the shrimp and clams. In the same skillet used to cook the fish and shrimp, add 1/2 cup of wine. Add cleaned clams, cover and cook until all clams are open, about 5 minutes. Use slotted spoon to transfer clams to Dutch oven. Discard liquid and garlic from skillet. If using precooked crab meat, add to Dutch oven now. Simmer for another 5 minutes and discard any unopened clams.   Skip

Adjust seasonings. Ladle soup into large bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve with toasted sourdough bread, if you like.

Because our printer wasn't working, I couldn't print up the recipe. I didn't want to put the laptop on the kitchen counter because I was afraid to get it wet. So, I dashed back and forth to read the ingredients. I mistook 2 dashes of cayenne pepper for 2 tsp! My broth was a little too spicy so I tried to tone it down with a little more white wine...We also added some cooked jasmine rice (individually) to our bowls.

The verdict was, they liked it. They = Husband Bert, The Child and my MIL. So yay, it was a success.

Next time I will add squid, sausage and king crab legs.

Hey, can you see the sparkling apple cider? We're classy like that.

Check it out...hearty, eh!

Thanks CAB for the inspiration!