New England Cioppino
I live in “The Ocean State” so there is no shortage of seafood around here. Growing up, I hated anything fish-related, I would not even taste it! Then, in high school, I started working at a local restaurant that would cook the most beautiful looking seafood dishes, and I finally decided to try some. Now, I’m seafood obsessed, and I’m determined to make sure that my kids love seafood from an early age, so they don’t miss out on these delicious flavors, like I did! I try to cook something fishy at least once a week, and sometimes it is a struggle to get them to try, but not this recipe! They gobbled this down, and asked for seconds, before I could even pour myself a bowl!
Cioppino is an Italian-American dish that originated in San Francisco, in a port neighborhood that had a large majority of Italian immigrants, who worked as fishermen. When a fisherman came back empty handed, he would ask the other fishermen around him to throw any scraps they had into his pot, so he would not go hungry and could make a fish stew.
I’ve taken this San Franciscan classic and added a little New England flare. I use super fresh, local ingredients, and that is what makes this dish shine! For this dish, I used local little neck clams, mussels, bay scallops, shrimp, and fresh Atlantic cod.
Here are some tips to ensure that this dish is a winner for you at home…
Be sure to dry off the scallops, shrimp, and cod before you season them! This helps with the cooking process and prevents them from getting rubbery.
Do not add all your seafood to the pot at the same time! Adding the seafood to this dish in stages allows for everything to cook perfectly! If you add them all at the same time, some things will be overcooked and that can ruin a delicate dish like this. Timing is very important!
Always remember to clean your clams and mussels, if not, you could end up with a mouthful of sand and grit! It is important to unwrap your live shellfish right when you get home, they are living and breathing creatures, and they will suffocate if left without air. Never use a mollusk that is chipped, broken, or damaged. For clams, you can soak them in cool water for 20 minutes. This allows them to filter out the sand. Then you can scrub the shells clean. Mussels, only need a light scrub and a little trim of their beard.
I like to peel and devein my shrimp, prior to cooking. If you like an extra shrimp-y flavor, then by all means, leave the peels on. I just don’t like to peel shrimp that is in a sauce, so I take everything off, even the tails!
Ingredients:
For the Marinara-
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large Onion
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 (15 oz) Canned Tomato Sauce
1 Cup Canned Tomato Puree
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
For the Cioppino-
1/2lb Fresh Atlantic Cod Loin
6-8 Jumbo Shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/2lb Bay Scallops, tendons removed, and cut in half horizontally
1/2lb Mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
6-8 Littleneck Clams, scrubbed
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil, chopped
1/4 Cup Dry Sherry
5-8 Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 (8oz) Bottles of Clam Juice
1 Baguette, sliced and toasted
Salt and Pepper
Instructions:
Make the Marinara first, by heating the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and salt. Cook until soft and translucent. Add the tomato sauce, tomato puree, basil, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.
Pat dry the cod, shrimp and scallops and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat oil in a soup pot, or a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Add the mussels, clams, basil, sherry, garlic, Worcestershire, and salt. Cover and cook until the shellfish starts to open, roughly 2 minutes.
Stir in the clam juice and marinara. Gently add the cod and scallops into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heart to medium and cover. Simmer until the seafood is turning opaque, about 2 minutes. Then add the shrimp. Cover and cook until everything is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the stew sit for 5 minutes, covered.
Serve with toasted baguette slices and enjoy!