Tapas

Cioppino by Lynette Rohrer Shirk

This is an Italian fisherman's stew that originated at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. Sourdough bread is all you need to serve with it.

1 medium onion, diced

5 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup tomato sauce

2 large tomatoes, diced

3 tablespoons Marsala

1 cup red wine

2 cups clam juice

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

5 parsley sprigs

Salt to taste

1 pound halibut

1 pound scallops

1 pound squid, cut into rings and tentacles

2 Dungeness crabs, legs and claws

8 shrimp in the shell, deveined

1 cup mussels in the shell, scrubbed clean and debearded

1 cup clams in the shell, scrubbed clean

In a large pot, sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, add the tomatoes, and cook until soft. Add the Marsala and cook until dry. Add the red wine and reduce by half.
Add the clam juice, chicken broth, pepper, oregano, and parsley. Cook until the liquid has reduced by a third. Remove parsley from the broth and season it with salt to taste.
Bring the bouillon to a simmer, cut the halibut into large chunks, and add them to it. Add the scallops, squid, Dungeness crabs, shrimp, mussels, and clams to the pot. Cook until the mussels and clams open.
Discard any unopened clams or mussels.
Serve hot in large bowls and be sure to add a little of each fish, shellfish, and squid to each serving.