Help me make a great cioppino please

[theoccasionalcook]

Every year for Christmas I make a cioppino. I've tried several different recipies and it always turns out pretty good. But when I try a cioppino in a restaurant that broth is SO GOOD! I mean you can taste all the spices and the taste just lingers on your tounge. Mine just always seems a little weak compared to that.

Can someone give me some tips on how I might make a broth that is closer to that restaurant quality? Should I make the broth ahead of time? I always make everything the same day we eat. Is there something else they use in that broth to make it out of this world? I use the exact amount of spices that are called for, maybe a touch more here and there. Thank you. I would love to perfect this thing.

[Mama Mangia]

Soup base


4 leeks, white parts only, coarsely chopped and washed

1 bulb fennel, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 dried chile de arbol, seeded

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons Arborio rice

2 quarts fish stock or broth, or vegetable broth, plus more as needed

Salt

Pernod

Juice of one lemon, or to taste


1. In a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat, sauté the leeks and fennel in the olive oil until translucent. Stir in the pepper and tomato paste and continue cooking until the tomato paste has darkened in color and thickened slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Stir in the Arborio rice, then the fish stock, scraping any flavoring from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and continue cooking until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Purée the soup base in a blender until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve, discarding any solids. Adjust the seasonings with salt, Pernod and lemon juice to taste. If the base is too thick, add additional fish stock to thin.



Soup and assembly


1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

24 mussels, de-bearded

24 clams

1/4 cup dry white wine

Soup base

Salt

Pepper

16 prawns, cleaned

16 scallops, quartered crosswise

1/4 cups chopped chives

1 pound cleaned cod or monkfish, cut into 2-inch pieces

Flour for dredging

1. In a large frying pan or skillet, sauté the shallots in 2 tablespoons olive oil until translucent. Stir in the mussels and clams, then stir in the white wine.

2. Cover the pan and simmer until the clams and mussels open (discard any that will not open). Stir in the soup base, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the prawns and scallops, then bring to a gentle simmer and poach the fish until done (the fish should be just firm and opaque). Stir in the chopped chives.

3. Meanwhile, season each piece of cod with a light pinch each of salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the fish in flour. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and add the remaining olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the fish pieces a few at a time and sauté until lightly golden on both sides and the fish is firm and opaque, 2 to 4 minutes on each side.

4. Divide the soup between 8 warm bowls and top with the sautéed cod. Serve immediately.



Cioppino (Fisherman's Stew)
Ingredients:
3 ea. Scallops
5 ea. Clams
5 ea. Mussels
3 ea. Prawns
3 oz. Fresh Fish Scrap
2 oz. Olive
1t. Garlic
1t. Shallots
2 oz. Vermouth
1 oz. Marinara
1 oz. Clam Juice
1T. Butter
4 oz. Cioppino Sauce (recipe below)
Cioppino Sauce
1 ea . large dice yellow onion
1 ea . large dice yellow, red, and green bell pepper
1 ea. medium dice fennel bulb
3 rib. medium dice celery
1/2 cup red wine
1 can pureed tomatoes
pinch garlic
salt and pepper to taste
To Make Cioppino Sauce: Saute All Vegetables until soft. Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Then add red wine and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes reduce to a simmer and cook for a half an hour.
To Complete the Dish: Heat oil in a saute pan (hot) first sear your scallops, then add mussels, clams, fish scraps, and prawns. Saute until shellfish starts to open, Deglaze with vermouth, add cioppino sauce, marinara, and clam juice, and cook for a few minutes. Finish with a tab of butter to bring the sauce together. Place in serving dish, and garnish with sliced green onions.






4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fennel
3 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons minced shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 ounces Prince Edward Island mussels
8 ounces Manila or littleneck clams
8 ounces whitefish fillet (such as halibut, cod, or tilapia) cut into chunks
4 ounces cleaned calamari, cut into 1-inch wide rings
4 ounces large shrimp (21 to 30 per pound), peeled and deveined, tails on
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
fennel fronds for garnish
Instructions
1. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped fennel, onion, shallots, and garlic and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Stir in the wine, then the tomatoes, parsley, red pepper flakes, clam juice, and water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the butter and stir to melt, then remove from heat.


2. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and toss on the mussels and clams. Cook for 4 minutes. As the mussels and clams begin to open, add the fish, calamari, and shrimp, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink. Discard any mussels or clams that don't open. Add 1 cup of the tomato mixture and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the saucepan with the remaining tomato mixture and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.


3. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with the basil, garnish with the fennel fronds, and serve immediately.



2 1/2 pounds fresh cracked Dungeness crab (your fishmonger/butcher will crack the crab for you)
12 cherrystone clams
12 jumbo white prawns
8 oz. cod
1 cup clam juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Cioppino sauce (recipe follows)
To assemble: Place half the sauce in a 5 quart roaster or Dutch oven. Place crab in next, then clams and prawns, clam juice, and wine. Pour rest of sauce over crab. Place the cod on top last. Place lid on pan and turn heat to medium-high until it starts to boil. After it reaches a boil, turn heat down to medium. When the fish is cooked and the clams are open, the cioppino is ready. Serve immediately with a good crusty sourdough bread.

Sauce

2 medium yellow onions, chopped fine
6 stalks celery, chopped fine
1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
4 tbsp. olive oil
2-14.5 oz. cans diced tomato
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. fresh garlic, chopped fine
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. thyme
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Saute onion, celery and parsley in olive oil until translucent. Add spices, saute for one minute. Add diced tomato and tomato sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.






1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 fresh red chile pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 pinch paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup white wine
1 (10 ounce) can minced clams, drained with juice reserved
25 mussels, cleaned and debearded
25 shrimp
10 ounces scallops
1 pound cod fillets, cubed
Directions
1.In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil, and saute the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and chile pepper until tender. Add parsley, salt and pepper, basil, oregano, thyme, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, paprika, cayenne pepper, and juice from the clams. Stir well, reduce heat, and simmer 1 to 2 hours, adding wine a little at a time.
2.About 10 minutes before serving, add clams, mussels, prawns, scallops, and cod. Turn the heat up slightly and stir. When the seafood is cooked through (the mussels will have opened, the prawns turned pink, and the cod will be flaky) serve your delicious cioppino.

[GeriZ]

My husband makes a great cioppino it's to die for it's not too hard you may want to try this:
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups chopped onion
1 leek, trimmed washed well and finely chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 green peppers cored-seeded and cut into think strips
4 cups chopped peeled tomatoes
1 cup fresh or canned tomato sauce
salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
t tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
red pepper flakes
2 cups of fish stock or water
1 cup fresh or bottled clam juice
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb firm fleshed fish like striped bass, red snapper, rock cor or sea bass, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 lb fresh scallops, preferably bay
1 lb raw shrimp, shelled and divined
1 doz well washed small clams in the shell (we use mussels)
1/4 cup shucked oysters with their liquor
1/2 lb lobster tail cooked in the shell, optional
1 hard-shelled crab cooked, optional

Heat the oil & butter add the onion, leek and garlic. cook, stirring often until veggies are lightly browned. add the green peppers and continue cooking, stirring until pepper are wilt. add tomatoes and tomato sauce. add salt and pepper to taste, bay leaf, oregano,thyme,basil and cook slowly for about 2 hours, stirring often to prevent burning. More fish stock can be added if you want. add the clam juice and wine and continue cooking about 10 min the soup can be made in advance.

about 20 min before you want to serve bring the soup to a boil and add the striped bass or other fish, cook for about 5 min then add the scallops, shrimp. simmer for about 8 min and add the clams, oysters,lobster tail and crab. cook, stirring gently for about 5 min or until clams open (we use mussels, i don't care for clams and they are great)
serve in hot soup bowls and you can top with pepper flakes. this is so yummy and you will love having left overs the next day, feeds lots of people.

[Johnny West]

Every year for Christmas I make a cioppino. I've tried several different recipies and it always turns out pretty good. But when I try a cioppino in a restaurant that broth is SO GOOD! I mean you can taste all the spices and the taste just lingers on your tounge. Mine just always seems a little weak compared to that.

Can someone give me some tips on how I might make a broth that is closer to that restaurant quality? Should I make the broth ahead of time? I always make everything the same day we eat. Is there something else they use in that broth to make it out of this world? I use the exact amount of spices that are called for, maybe a touch more here and there. Thank you. I would love to perfect this thing.

This what I do and you can't beat it.

Randy Altig

Makes 4 or 5 servings, but feel free to double the recipe for big appetites or a larger crowd.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 carrot, cut into thin strips
1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped (canned, diced tomatoes work fine)
1 1/2 cups dry white wine (or use a full bottle for more broth)
1 teaspoon fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
2 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 pound fresh crab, in the shell, rinsed and cut in quarters
1 pound firm, white fish (such as halibut) fillets, cut into l-inch cubes
12 hard-shell clams, cleaned *
12 mussels (beards removed) *
1/2 pound medium-sized raw prawns, shelled and deveined
1/3 cup chopped parsley
* Scrub shellfish with a stiff-bristled brush under cold, running water. Discard any clams or mussels that are not tightly closed.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, green pepper, carrot and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft (about five minutes). Transfer to a large pot with a tight-fitting lid.

2. Add tomatoes, wine, basil, marjoram, thyme, chili pepper, bay leaf and salt, and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.

3. Add Swiss chard, crab, fish, clams and mussels. Cover and simmer five minutes.

4. Add shrimp and parsley. Cover and simmer four minutes or until shrimp turns pink.

5. Serve in large bowls with hot sourdough or Italian-style bread—and enjoy!

_________________

[HeadChef]

Wow! That was really a long post Mama, Guess that this recipe has a lot of work.