Back in 2009 when I was recruiting engineering grads at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, my partner-in-crime joined me for the weekend and we had the most amazing Cioppino at a restaurant called......you guessed it, Cioppinot. Years later I Googled the recipe and, lo and behold, I found it in the LA Times! A trip to our local Harris Teeter yielded scallops, wild caught Argentinian shrimp (shelled and deveined by my sous-chef), and some Halibut. This is a very quick and easy dish to put together, and we served it with a Schug Pinot Noir. Definitely restaurant worthy fare. My only hack was using Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes (San Marzanos would be fab too) instead of fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Just add clams, calamari and mussels and you've almost got your seven fishes for Christmas 😂
Sweating down the onions leaks and herbs
Adding the seafood for the last ten minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ pound leeks, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced diagonally ½-inch thick
1 clove garlic, minced
1 dried bay leaf
â…› teaspoon dried oregano
â…› teaspoon dried thyme
â…› teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
1 ½ cups canned diced tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup dry white or red wine
Salt
Hot sauce
4 to 6 ounces large shrimp (16 to 20 count per pound), shelled and deveined
½ pound large scallops
6 ounces firm, light-flesh fish steaks (such as swordfish), cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons cold butter, chopped
Freshly chopped basil and oregano, for garnish
Fresh Ciabatta, Baguette or Sourdough for mopping up sauce
In a medium, heavy-bottom pot heated over medium-high heat, add the oil, then stir in the onions, leeks, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, pepper and saffron. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the herbs are fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce and wine. Cover and simmer gently to develop the flavors, 30 to 45 minutes. Thin if need with water or more wine. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon hot sauce, or to taste.
To the pot, add the shrimp, scallops and fish. Cover and simmer gently just until the fish and shellfish are firm and opaque, about 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and remove from heat. Stir in the chopped cold butter, stirring just until the butter melts to add a little richness to the broth.
Serve right away and garnish with basil and oregano, with a side of fresh bread