Craving Ellie is a small group. There are only 19 of us. That means that every 19 weeks one member gets to pick an Ellie recipe. That’s the good news!! And the bad news?? We get to pick every 19 weeks. And that is HARD!! Sort of. But if there is a seafood recipe in there, it is usually going to be my pick. I don’t think I could ever get enough seafood – shrimp, crabs, crawfish (although that is technically NOT seafood), and any kind of fish. It doesn’s surprise any of the other members either. “is an Italian fish stew with a savoury tomato and wine broth chock full of fish and shellfish.” says Ellie!! And it is – shrimp, scallops, and Heat the olive oil over the medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. So what’s the verdict on this one?? I liked it but I didn’t love it. I so hope the other CEinMB members liked this dish. I tried to chose something different but good. Check theirs out and see if I got it right. And in 19 weeks I get to pick again. Better start looking at those recipes!!!!
Cioppino
halibut, eh… cod, okya, fine – catfish.
1 tbl olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbl chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried {I used ground ’cause that’s all I had.}
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbl tomato pasate
1 cup dry white wine
2 14.5 oz cans no-sald-added diced tomatoes
1 cup fish stock or water
1 Tbl red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground balck pepper
1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound scallops
1/2 lb skinless halibut fillet, cut into 1″ chunks {Couldn’t find halibut, cod looked dry, used catfish}
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 loaf whole-wheat Italian bread
Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, an additional 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook over medium-high heat for 3 mintues.
Add the tomatoes with their juices and the fish stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, salt, and pepper. This base may be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, reheat the soup base on the stovetop, if necessary, and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp, scallops, and fish. Reduce the heat and simmer, until everything is just cooked, about 5 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with the parsley. Serve with the bread.
1. Using catfish was a mistake. The flavor of the catfish is way too strong for this dish. Next time – cod. I don’t think I have ever seen halibut anywhere near here.
2. I think I would use sea scallops instead of bay scallops next time. The texture would be better.
3. I used some focaccia that I had made earlier that had Italian seasoning in the dough. It was really good with the stew. Added great flavor.
November 18, 2010
{CEinMB}Cioppino
Posted by teaandscones under CEiMB, Cookbooks, Fish, Food, Healthy, Recipe Included, Seafood, Shrimp[8] Comments
November 18, 2010 at 8:01 AM
We enjoyed it the night I made it and Mark took the rest in his lunch on Monday. It wasn’t a “wow” recipe, but it wasn’t bad…probably will do other things with shrimp and scallops and halibut in the future, but I am happy to have had the chance to make this as I would have sooner or later, you know me and soup!!! I was hoping you LOVED it because it was your pick, but you probably have other soups/stews you like better to use with all that fresh seafood down there in LA!
November 18, 2010 at 9:24 AM
Thanks, Margaret! This isn’t something I would have chosen to make if not for you. I’m glad I did try it, even though I changed it some. I wish you’d loved it, but it was still good.
November 18, 2010 at 9:58 AM
We LOVED it with chicken!!! Try it again with a different fish maybe? I’m sorry you didn’t love your pick. It was easy to make on a weeknight for me so I thought it was a great pick. Thank you!
November 18, 2010 at 2:53 PM
It looks great. I guess catfish would be too strong. I used swordfish because it apparently isn’t the season for Halibut. Oh well. It was good. We enjoyed it.
November 18, 2010 at 5:37 PM
I didn’t get to make it because my son is allergic to shellfish but it looks great online…nice pick.
November 19, 2010 at 11:34 AM
Like Mary, I couldn’t make it because of my shellfish allergy but I love cioppino. Or I did before it could land me in the emergency room. Yours looks good! Sorry the catfish took over!
November 20, 2010 at 7:15 PM
We don’t eat shellfish either. I admit, it looks great, though. I think it was a good pick because it looks like a hearty winter meal which I am craving now.
I was going to try chicken but I figured it changed the dish too much. I see that Peggy did, though. I will check her out and see if it is workable for us.
Thanks for hosting and I am really sorry, I could not participate.
November 22, 2010 at 6:24 PM
Thank you so much for this pick, Margaret! I’m not sure it’s one I would have picked on my own, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I definitely think the type of fish used makes a big difference, and I think you’ll enjoy it more with cod.