Here come the holidays–that time of year when we break out the special recipes, designed to feed many and impress all. My family celebrates Chanukah, but there’s one Italian holiday tradition that has always fascinated me and appealed to my foodie sensibilities. The Italian Christmas Eve celebration of the Feast of the Seven Fishes is spectacular in its grandeur and luxurious in its abundance. The ritual calls for seven courses of fish dishes, running the gamut from antipasti to mains. Cioppino, my favorite seafood stew, pays tribute to that tradition. It’s like a feast all wrapped up in one dish. I have been making this seafood stew for special occasions for many years–in fact, it was one of the dishes I mastered early on in my marriage, when I was first teaching myself to cook. A lovely choice for entertaining: besides being a real stunner, it can be mostly prepared before your guests arrive and then finished just a few minutes before serving. And so, my salute to that grand Italian tradition–a feast that will certainly dazzle and delight everyone.
Cioppino with Saffron Rouille
This seafood stew was invented near the wharf in San Francisco, where it was traditionally made using the catch of the day. As you might imagine, the fish would vary, but would most likely include some combination of clams, mussels, scallops, squid, fish fillet and dungeness crab, which is indigenous to that area. This mixture is, of course, open to interpretation, but I mostly prefer to use clams, shrimp, red snapper or halibut, scallops and crab legs, when they’re not too pricey. And sometimes I’ll throw in some squid, for good measure.
The tomatoey broth of the stew can be made as spicy as you like. Besides the briny flavor of the fish, the sauce is anchored by onions, garlic, fennel, herbs, green pepper, and a hit of heat from harissa. Wine and fish stock or clam juice lighten the juice of crushed tomatoes. Like a homemade mayonnaise, the peppery Saffron Rouille is an impressive condiment that you serve alongside the stew with sourdough croutes to add bright flavor and an extra kick of spice.
Begin by making the base for the stew. Chop onion, garlic, fennel and green bell pepper. In a large, heavy duty soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, dried oregano, and bay leaf and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is fragrant.
I’m usually not a fan of green pepper, but it offers just the right bite in this mix. Add the chopped fennel and pepper to the pot and continue to cook for 3 to 5 more minutes, until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
Harissa is a North African chili paste that has a wonderfully complex spiciness. You can usually find it in the international section of your market, but if you don’t have it on hand, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Stir the harissa into the stew base.
Pour in the white wine, bring to a boil, and cook until the wine is reduced by half.
Add the crushed tomatoes and a large sprig of fresh basil.
Stir in the clam juice or fish stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes, until the sauce has cooked down a bit and the flavors have melded.
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning. At this point, you can turn the off the heat and reserve until a few minutes before serving. Bring back to the simmer before continuing.
Prepare the Saffron Rouille: over a medium low flame, place a red bell pepper to char, turning with tongs until black on all sides. Place the pepper in a small bowl. Repeat with another pepper. If you don’t have a gas stove, you can place the peppers on a baking sheet under a broiler and char them that way, turning as they blacken.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the peppers steam for about 20 minutes.
When they’re cool enough to handle, scrape the charred skins from the peppers. Core and seed them, then roughly chop. Seed and chop a jalapeño pepper.
Chop garlic cloves. Mash the garlic, with a teaspoon of kosher salt, in a mortar and pestle until it forms a paste. If you don’t have a mortar, you can also smash the garlic with the salt using the side of a chef’s knife.
Place the peppers and garlic paste in a small food processor or blender. Add the pulp of fresh bread or breadcrumbs to the processor–I used some of the sourdough bread that I was also using for croutes. Pulse until combined.
Mix in lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.
In a small bowl, bloom a pinch of saffron in some of the olive oil. Blooming allows the saffron flavor to open up and develop. Add to the rouille.
Slowly add the rest of the olive oil to the rouille, pulsing until it’s combined into a thick sauce or mayonnaise. Refrigerate until ready to serve; this can be made a day ahead.
Prepare the fish for the stew: rinse and scrub the clams. Place them in a bowl and cover with fresh, cool water. Sprinkle with a pinch of flour–this will help the clams “cough up” any grit they may be holding on to.
Shell and devein the shrimp, leaving the tail joint intact (it looks prettier that way). Remove the tough muscle from the side of the sea scallops (if there are any) using a paring knife. Slice the scallops in half crosswise. Cut the fish fillet into 1 1/2 inch strips. If you’re using crab legs, cut them into 3 inch pieces; if you add squid, be sure to remove the cartilage from the center and cut into rings.
Add the clams to the simmering sauce and let them cook for 5 minutes, until their shells begin to pop open.
Add the rest of the seafood and fish and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fish is cooked through. Remove any clams that haven’t opened.
Thinly slice the sourdough bread and toast until golden brown. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and rub with a half clove of garlic.
Serve the cioppino in large shallow bowls, making sure to evenly distribute the fish and seafood. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and basil. Serve the sourdough croutes and a bowl of the Saffron Rouille alongside. The rouille can be spread on croutes or stirred into the stew for an extra kick of flavor. Let the celebrations begin!
Adapted from Gourmet
Serves 6:
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
1 small fennel, tops removed
1 green bell pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons harissa, or tomato paste with a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 large sprig basil
2 cups clam juice, or fish stock
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 littleneck clams
1 pound large shrimp (16-20 count)
1 pound sea scallops
1 pound red snapper or halibut fillet
1 pound king crab legs (optional)
1/2 pound squid (optional)
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons basil
Saffron Rouille:
2 red bell peppers
1 jalapeño
6 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup fresh bread or breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of saffron
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sourdough Croutes:
sourdough bread
extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, halved lengthwise
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That looks fabulous! I would eat that rouille by itself. I will also be celebrating Hannukah, though my husband’s WASP-y traditions also bleed into our celebrations.
Seafood dish extraordinaire! I love the combination of flavors. Yum! My husband will love this dish for Christmas lunch. Thanks for sharing!