Cioppino is the most comforting seafood stew you could imagine, and Brandon Boudet, Chef and Owner of Little Dom’s & Little Dom’s Seafood in California, is sharing his recipe. Using locally caught Santa Barbara seafood—including three different types of crab, ridgeback shrimp, and vermilion snapper fish—and aromatics plucked fresh from his garden, Brandon makes this San Francisco, Ligurian-inspired stew that you can enjoy in any season! (Recipe below)
Cioppino with Fennel and Saffron:
For the Cioppino:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb (about 12 ounces) core removed, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup bottled clam juice or fish stock
1/2cup boiling water
5 strands saffron
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon Calabrian chile paste
Kosher salt, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon fennel pollen
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 fresh or frozen Dungeness or yellow crab, cleaned and cut into quarters (thawed if frozen)
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 pound mild white fish fillet, skinned cut into 4 pieces
1/2 pound clams and/or mussels, scrubbed, mussels debearded
For Serving:
Grilled sourdough bread slices
1 garlic clove, peeled
Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. In a large Dutch oven with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the onions and fennel and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Add the clam broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small heat-proof liquid measuring cup or bowl, add ½ cup boiling water and the saffron; stir set aside.
3. Add the tomatoes, Calabrian chile paste, bay leaf, fennel seed, fennel pollen, and crushed red pepper to the onion mixture and season with salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the saffron and its liquid, along with the crab, shrimp, fish, and clams and/or mussels, stirring gently to coat the seafood in the broth. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the crab, shrimp, and fish are cooked through and the clams and/or mussels open (discard any that do not open), 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, toast or grill the bread. Rub the surface of the bread with the garlic clove. Drizzle the toasts with olive oil.
6. Ladle the cioppino into bowls and drizzle with lemon juice; garnish with parsley and serve with the grilled bread.
More ways to follow Food & Wine:
Instagram:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Website:
Subscribe to Food & Wine:
Food & Wine inspires and empowers our wine- and food-obsessed community to eat, drink, entertain, and travel better—every day and everywhere. Tag us on Instagram @foodandwine for a chance to be regrammed.
Cioppino: A Comforting Italian-Inspired Seafood Stew From Brandon Boudet | Chefs At Home