A hard-to-pronounce name; a hard-to-resist taste.
Artwork by Ed Gloor
I had to ask my mom several times to repeat the name of this dish, pronounced chi-pee-no, but she also heard many exclamations of “This is so good,” “Yum,” and the like from my father, brother, and self. This is a spicy seafood soup with plenty of tomato and garlic flavor. Just don’t forget bread to sop up the delicious broth!
Cioppino was likely created in San Francisco. Many Genoan fishermen lived in the area during the early decades of the 20th century, and they probably came up with the recipe while limited to the seafood they could catch, as well as the limited food stores they could keep onboard in the days before refrigeration on boats, such as vegetables, canned foods (like tomatoes), and bread.
Cioppino:
This is for 2 servings – adjust accordingly for larger numbers
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ onion, minced (optional)
1 to 2 pinches chili flakes
3 (4-ounce) fillets rock codfish
4 shrimp
5 to 7 mussels
4 to 5 clams
2 ounces white wine
5 to 6 pieces calamari
3 to 4 Dungeness crab legs
Optional:
Crabmeat, shredded
Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Bread, for serving
Note: you can also just use a bag of frozen mixed seafood and calamari as a substitute for the seafood.
Directions:
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes and onion if desired and stir to combine, but do not brown the garlic.
Raise the heat to high and add the fish fillets, shrimp, mussels, and clams and cook until the mussel and clam shells open. Pour in the marinara sauce and the white wine. Stir in the calamari and crab legs and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Make sure the sauce is not too thick or thin.
Transfer the cioppino to a large bowl and garnish with shredded crabmeat, parmesan, and parsley. Serve with bread.
With chilly fall snows arriving, try out this hot soup with a spicy kick that’s sure to warm you up!
