Seafood Cioppino

I'm back at it! Believe it or not I have been cooking. As we can all relate, life is busy! Working a 9 to 5 on top of socializing and athletics doesn't leave much time for food blogging. However, it would be short of a crime to not share some of the recipes I've come across lately. As per usual, I am challenging myself to cook food I love to eat but have never created in my own kitchen. Last week this pursuit had me cooking up Seafood Cioppino-- a beautiful mussel and fish stew featured at many high end restaurants. It is the legacy of San Francisco's Italian and Portuguese immigrants—many of them fishermen—have lived on these surprisingly easy to make North Beach favorite, with fresh parsley this stew is both hearty and fresh.  

Cioppino

                          1 medium onion, quartered
                          3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
                          3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
                          2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
                          1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
                          1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
                          1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in juice
                          1 1/2 cups water
                          1 cup full-bodied red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah
                          1 8 ounce can of tomato paste
                          1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
                          1/2 to 1 pound skinless fillets of thick white-fleshed fish cut into 1- inch  .   chunks (I used halibut; hake or pollack can also be used)
                          1/2 to 1 pound fresh mussels
                          1 bunch fresh parsley chopped

Heat olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped  onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.  | Cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until vegetables begin to soften (about 4 minutes).   | Add tomatoes with their juice, water, wine, clam juice, tomato paste and boil covered for 20 minutes.  | Stir in seafood and 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh parsley and cook, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through and mussels open wide. This should take 4 to 6 minutes (discard any that remain unopened mussels after 6 minutes). Discard bay leaves.

 

And serve HOT! Preferably with a toasted bread and a nice bottle of wine :)