Cioppino is an Italian Fishermans stew- popular in San Francisco
Ingredients:
2 large onions, chopped
2 bunches scallions, chopped
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C olive oil
4 T butter
1/2 lb. fresh medium mushrooms, quartered
2 C red wine
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 t oregano
1 T chopped fresh basil
3 (or more) dashes Tabasco sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and fresh ground pepper
2 pounds perch filets, cut in large chunks
2 dozen raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 pound raw scallops
6 oz crab or mock crab
(really you can add any seafood that appeals to you. Cioppino was made with the leftovers from cleaning the nets, and was a Fishermans dish. Lobster, calamari, and clams are all fine.)
In a large kettle, sauté onions, scallions, green peppers, and garlic in oil and butter for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring often. Add mushrooms and sauté 4-5 minutes more. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato sauce, herbs, and tabasco. Cover and simmer 1 hour or more.
To heated sauce, add perch, scallops, and shrimp, simmer 3 minutes, until shrimp is pink. Add cooked lobster or crab at the end so it does not fall apart, just enough to warm through.
(If you add clams, add them first, wait 3 minutes and add the rest. Clams should open as the shrimp are turning pink
As soon as crab is heated through, remove bay leaf, taste and season with salt and pepper.
The sauce can be made in advance, and then reheated, and add the fish just before serving.
