Monterey Bay Cioppino from Cook's Country

Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 1 1/2 hours

Marinara

3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, halved and sliced thin

3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

¾ t. salt

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup tomato puree

½ cup chopped fresh basil

1 T. packed light brown sugar

1 ½ t. Worcestershire sauce

¼ t. ground cinnamon

Cioppino

1 ½ pounds skinless sea bass fillets, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (can substitute other firm white fish like Halibut or Ling Cod)

12 oz extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed

12 oz large scallops, tendons removed, cut in half horizontally

Salt and pepper

3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded (can substitute clams)

½ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ cup dry sherry or white wine

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

½ t. saffron threads, crumbled

2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice

1 (12-inch) baguette, sliced and toasted

Lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE MARINARA: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, and salt and cook until onion is softened and just beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomato puree, basil, sugar, Worcestershire, and cinnamon and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until marinara is slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.

FOR THE CIOPPINO: Season sea bass, shrimp, and scallops with salt and pepper; set aside. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mussels, basil, sherry, garlic, Worcestershire, saffron, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until mussels start to open, about 2 minutes.

Stir in clam juice and marinara until combined. Nestle sea bass and scallops into pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until seafood is just turning opaque, about 2 minutes. Nestle shrimp into pot and return to simmer. Cover and cook until all seafood is opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve with baguette slices and lemon wedges.

Curried Mussels

These mussels are great shared with a side of rice to soak up the delicious curry broth, or served with batons of garlic bread to dip! Dry Riesling pairs beautifully with all of the spices. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 30 Minutes ~ Serves: 4
Recipe by Gracie Schatz

Ingredients:

4 lbs. mussels, rinsed and beard removed *

2 large onions, peel and quarter one, dice the other

1 large piece of ginger, peeled

1 head of garlic, peeled 2 T. curry powder

1/2 T. turmeric

4 T. tomato paste *

1 T. coriander seed

1 T. black mustard seed

4 T. coconut oil

1 can coconut milk

2 t. fish sauce*

1 T. palm or dark brown sugar

3 limes

* Available at Newman's Fish Company

In a blender, combine 1 onion, ginger, peeled garlic cloves, curry powder, turmeric, and tomato paste. Blend curry paste until smooth. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, over high heat, start toasting your whole mustard and coriander seeds until the mustard seeds start to pop, add coconut oil and diced onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ¾ of your blended curry paste and lower heat to medium high. Sauté until the paste no longer tastes of raw garlic, and starts to mellow. Add coconut milk and bring up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add your remaining curry paste, fish sauce and sugar and taste for salt. Once the curry is to your liking (feel free to add some hot chilis if you like it spicy!), increase the heat, add your mussels (make sure you have removed the beard first! Ask your fishmonger if you are not sure how to do this) and cover.

Once the mussels have all opened, the curry is done! You can open the pot and stir to check on the mussels every 2-3 minutes. Finish the dish with fresh squeezed lime.

Print the Recipe Card.

Cioppino - San Francisco's Famous Seafood Stew

Original recipe published by John Mitzewich, but adapted by Newman's customer Paul Redhead.  Paul insists Newman's stock is the secret to great tasting Cioppino but says you can be flexible with the types of seafood you use.

Prep time:  20 Minutes         Cook time:  75 Minutes       Serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup butter

1 rib celery, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 can crushed tomatoes (28-oz)

2 cups Newman's fish stock or clam juice

2 cups white wine

4 cloves crushed garlic

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Dungeness crab (about 2 lbs), cracked and cleaned, or 1 lb frozen crabmeat, thawed

2 pounds halibut fillet (or other white fish such as ling cod), cut into 1" pieces

24 large raw prawns, peeled and deveined

12 mussels

12 steamer clams - or more to taste

1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

1. In a large pot, on medium-low heat, melt the butter with the olive oil and sauté the celery and onions until soft, about 10 minutes. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the seafood and fresh parsley. Simmer on low, uncovered, for one hour. Add a splash of water if the sauce gets to thick. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.

2. Add the crab, shrimp, and halibut, and simmer covered another five minutes. Add the mussels and clams, cover the pot and simmer for 3 minutes more, or until the mussels open. Turn off the heat, and stir in the Italian parsley.

3.  Ladle the Cioppino into large bowls and serve with lots of sourdough bread and red wine.