SAN FRANCISCO CIOPPINO

Considered the signature dish of San Francisco, Cioppino is a wonderful seafood stew that is perfect for entertaining and holidays.  Serve this with crusty sourdough bread to sop up all the delicious broth for a truly Californian dining experience!
INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

SAN FRANCISCO CIOPPINO

• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups white wine (optional - can replace with additional fish or chicken stock)
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 5 cups fish or seafood stock*
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound small clams
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 2 pounds crab (I used 1 whole cooked Dungeness crab, with its legs removed from its body)
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound bay scallops
• 1/2 pound cod fillet, cut into large chunks (or other firm-fleshed fish like halibut or salmon)
• Fresh basil and parsley, chopped, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large stock pot, then add the onion, fennel, garlic, parsley, sauteing until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, basil, salt, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute 2 minutes longer.
2. Add the white wine, crushed and diced tomatoes, fish stock, and bay leaves, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low.  
3. Simmer for 30 minutes so the flavors can blend.
4. While the meat simmers, prepare the crab by removing the crab legs from the body (if not already done for you) and using a nutcracker to crack the shells (leave the meat in the shell) so that the meat can be easily removed once the cioppino is served.

Open Full Recipes HERE

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