Cioppino

Cioppino is a fish stew derived from the various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cuisine. Cioppino is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in the dish's place of origin is typically a combination of dungeness crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and white fish with fresh tomatoes in a wine sauce, often served over spaghetti or other long pasta and toasted buttered bread, either sourdough or baguette. This dish was developed in the late 1800s by Italian fishermen who settled in the North Beach section of San Francisco.  Originally it was made on the boats while out at sea and later became a staple as Italian restaurants proliferated in San Francisco. The name comes from ciuppin, a word in the Ligurian dialect of the port city of Genoa, meaning "to chop" or "chopped" which described the process of making the stew by chopping up various leftovers of the days catch.  At least one restaurant in San Francisco, the eponymous Cioppino's, uses the bogus story in which the name derived from the heavily Italian-accented cry of the wharf cooks for the fishermen to "chip in" some of their catch to the collective soup pot.

So, there’s your history lesson for the day. What I love about Cioppino is that you can alter this dish in many ways.  Change it up by using potatoes, chorizo, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, crab, halibut, sea bass, or snapper.  Add a little heat with red pepper.  You can do practically anything to personalize this delicious dish.

Ingredients

1 1/2  tablespoons  olive oil

1/2  cup chopped onion

1 1/2  teaspoons bottled minced garlic

1/4  teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded

8 ounces sea scallops

8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1/2 cup clam juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Directions

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper to pan; sauté for 2 minutes. Add mussels, scallops, and shrimp to pan; sauté for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup clam juice, parsley, and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until mussels open, and discard any unopened shells.

Serve with toasted garlic bread.

Seafood Ragù with Cavatappi

You can use mussels or scallops in place of the clams or shrimp.

Makes
6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
1 1/2  cups  finely chopped red onion
2  teaspoons  minced garlic cloves
1/2  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
1  cup  dry red wine
1 1/2  cups  canned crushed plum tomatoes
3  tablespoons  minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2  teaspoon  salt
24  littleneck clams
16  medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1/2 pound)
1  pound  skinless halibut fillets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2  cup  water
4  cups  hot cooked cavatappi (about 10 ounces uncooked pasta)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and pepper; cover and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Add wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in tomatoes, 2 tablespoons parsley, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Add clams. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp and fish. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 2 minutes. Add water. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until clams open. Discard any unopened shells. Add 1 tablespoon oil and pasta; toss to coat. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.
Calories: 361 (22% from fat); Fat: 8.7g (sat 1.2g,mono 4.2g,poly 1.9g)
Protein: 37.8g

Seafood Fettuccine

This sauce is like a traditional alfredo, but with no flour or other thickener. Don't worry if it looks thin. It's the perfect consistency for coating the pasta. Pat the shrimp and scallops dry before cooking with paper towels so they don't dilute the sauce.
Makes
8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
1 1/2  tablespoons  butter
1  cup  chopped green onions
4  garlic cloves, minced
1  pound  medium shrimp, peeled
1  pound  sea scallops
2  cups  half-and-half
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
1/2  pound  lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
3/4  cup  (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
8  cups  hot cooked fettuccine (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté 1 minute or until tender. Add shrimp and scallops; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Add half-and-half, salt, pepper, and crabmeat; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly (do not boil). Gradually sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over seafood mixture, stirring constantly; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Combine pasta and seafood mixture in a large bowl. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley.
Calories: 438 (30% from fat); Fat: 14.8g (sat 7.7g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.9g)
Protein: 38.5g