Cioppino Recipe Tadich Grill

The clams are steamed separately and the fish is sauteed with butter and olive oil for each serving before being combined with the hot sauce in San Francisco’s Tadich Grill’s traditional cioppino, which features shelled prawns and crab to make the dining experience less messy.

By leaving the crab in its shell and omitting the extra fat used to cook the fish, we’ve modified the recipe for home cooks.

Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper. Partially cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thick. Stir in wine, halibut, and swordfish. Heat olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven or large heavy pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, fennel, bell pepper, and leek. Saute

Written by John Briscoe and Michael Buich, “Tadich Grill: The Story of San Francisco’s Oldest Restaurant, With Recipes” (Ten Speed Press).

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Cioppino 🔗

Invented in San Francisco, this little soup is hearty, flavorful, and loaded with succulent seafood.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 16 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 1 leek, white part only, trimmed, cleaned, and chopped
• ¹⁄₂ small fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 2 pinches cayenne
• 2 (28-oz.) cans crushed Italian tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 ¹⁄₂ lb. halibut filet, cut into large pieces
• 16 sea scallops
• 16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ¹⁄₂ lb. raw bay shrimp, if available, or smallest shrimp available, peeled
• 1-2 cups flour
• 12 oz. crabmeat, preferably dungeness, picked over
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 16 manila clams, scrubbed
• ¹⁄₂ bunch parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instruction:

1. Heat 1⁄2 cup of the oil and 8 tbsp. of the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes. Add carrots, celery, peppers, leeks, and fennel and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 4 cups water, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, basil, and cayenne and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.
2. Heat remaining 1⁄2 cup oil, 8 tbsp. butter, and garlic in a large, heavy skillet over high heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Working in 2 batches, dredge halibut, scallops, and large and bay shrimp in flour, shaking off excess, and fry, turning seafood frequently, until golden, 1-2 minutes. Transfer seafood with a slotted spoon to pot with sauce, and add crabmeat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add wine to same skillet over high heat, scraping browned bits stuck to bottom of skillet. Add clams, cover, and cook until shells open, about 5 minutes. (Discard any clams that don’t open.) Add clams and broth to pot; adjust seasonings. Ladle soup into large bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve with toasted sourdough bread, if you like.

FAQ

What is cioppino sauce made of?

Tomatoes, onions, green peppers, celery, burgundy wine or wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sea salts, cane juice, parsley, basil, oregano, black pepper, and red pepper are some of the typical ingredients that may be used to make a cioppino sauce.

Can you put oysters in cioppino?

A few minutes before serving, add the oysters and their liquor, reduce the sauce to the desired thickness with oyster liquor, broth, or water, taste, and season with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf and thyme stems.

What does cioppino mean in Italian?

It’s delicious with toasted bread on the side or served over pasta noodles or rice and can be made with almost any type of seafood, including haddock, scallops, Dungeness crab, shrimp, cod, salmon, squid, and more.