Cioppino

[allisonkwolf]

Can you make the base for Cioppino the day before, and then reheat and cook the seafood in it before serving? Along those lines, anyone have a favorite recipe?

[mainiac]

Best recipe I've ever had is from the Tadich Grill in SF. mercurynews.com/recipes/ci_7407936

[alkapal]

oh yeah, buddy! that looks like it has all the right bells and whistles. here is a hot link: http://www.mercurynews.com/recipes/ci...

[alkapal]

yes, make the base the day before -- it'll be tastier!

http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/cioppi...

adjust garlic to taste.

[allisonkwolf]

Thank you! Has anyone made giada's Cioppino?

[alkapal]

nope, but i love the fennel component…..

[RobertLaughlin]

An important no-no when you're making cioppino: don't add mushrooms. They'll absorb the flavor of the wine, leaving none in the broth.

[alkapal]

if so, how explain coq au vin or beef bourguinon? is cioppino different?

[opinionatedchef]

cioppino has no business having mushrooms in it. she said.

w/ regards to your above, i'm w/ alkapal.

[alkapal]

well i know that cioppino has no mushrooms.

what i was asking was: if it DID, why would cioppino be different from those other dishes in terms of "absorbing the wine so the broth didn't have any."

anyhow, i don't know why robert brought up mushrooms in reply to me….
maybe he just meant to reply to the original post.

[opinionatedchef]

pal, couldn't tell from your wording, but you did get it that I know that YOU know about no mushrooms... Right?
I didn't get it why he wrote that either. Btw, i never heard that about mushrooms before ; odd.

[alkapal]

that was the strange thing…about mushrooms sucking up all the wine. LOL

[thimes]

+1 yes make it ahead of time

sorry never made Giada's. I usually wing it.

[opinionatedchef]

this recipe looks excellent ; esp the presence of the particular herbs and spices. But i have some suggestions:

feel free to sub types of fish (but do not use salmon); also can sub frozen chopped clams for whole clams.i would skip the crab leg- messy, expensive, crab not as successful when paired w/ tomato.

you can pretty much always make stocks or soup broths/bases ahead of time. even 5 days ahead and it should be fine.

[susancinsf]

Really? cioppino without crab (but most preferably Dungeness, NOT King crab) is not really cioppino, IMO. It is simply a seafood stew. I always put tomato in mine. No mushrooms, but I actually have successfully made a version without wine for guests who can't have alcohol. Though granted, the wine really does make a superior version. Messy? maybe, but not expensive if the crab is Dungeness in season.

Here is an old thread with a sort of a recipe for my favorite version. Have to get over to the City to get the ingredients to make some soon!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/360004

[opinionatedchef]

Makes perfect sense for you in SanFran. I'm in Boston (and for me, the only crab worth eating is Va. Blue Crab!!)

[ChrisOC]

I agree opinionatedchef

Callinectus sapidus....Chesapeake blue crab

[carbonaraboy]

This may seem like a nit, but if you use blue crab, replace the red wine with white. Red with Dungeness because it's richer meat.