Fourth Street Grills Cioppino Recipes

GRILLED CIOPPINO WITH FIRE-ROASTED TOMATO AND VEGETABLE PUREE

Steps:

• For the cioppino: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Wipe down the grates with an oil-blotted towel to clean and create a nonstick surface.
• Squeeze the lemon halves (catching the seeds and discarding) into a large bowl, then add the lemon halves to the bowl as well. Add the wine, olive oil, capers, salt, chile flakes, peppers and garlic. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• Clean and cut the crabs: remove the hard shell, cut off the tail and discard the gills, then cut the halves into pieces so each piece has 2 to 3 legs. Place the crabs, scallops, shrimp and halibut in the marinade and gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, giving it a stir after 30 minutes.
• For the puree: Place the tomatoes, bell peppers, fennel and onions in a large gratin dish, and then drizzle with three tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the fennel seeds and chile flakes and toss to coat everything evenly. Cut the top off of the bulb of garlic to expose the cloves. Place the garlic on a large piece of foil and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch each salt and pepper. Wrap up the foil into a tight pouch. Place the vegetables on the grill and the garlic pouch in the corner of the grill over indirect heat. Grill the vegetables on both sides until tender and charred around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Roast the garlic over direct heat until medium brown and paste-like, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the grill, cool enough to handle, then squeeze out the garlic paste from the bulb and set aside. Working in batches, add the vegetables and garlic paste to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until sauce-like in appearance and consistency. Transfer to a large saute pan set over medium heat. Stir and simmer until the sauce slightly thickens, 7 to 8 minutes. Add half of the basil and the ouzo, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Grill the crab for 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Grill the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes then flip and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Finally add the halibut and scallops to the grill; cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side then turn over and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove all the seafood from the grill to a platter.
• Serve the seafood family-style with the sauce generously ladled on top. Garnish with the remaining basil, the quartered lemons and the reserved fennel fronds.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
• Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large stockpot, add onions, garlic and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.
• Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you add them). Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, water and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and crabmeat. Stir in fish, if desired. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams open. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread!

QUICK CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 4 minutes. Add thyme, salt, pepper, and red-pepper flakes, and cook for 1 minute. Add wine, and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, juices, and water. Cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Add seafood, cover, and cook until shells open, 6 to 8 minutes. (Discard unopened shells and thyme sprigs.) Garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

FISHERMAN'S WHARF CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and bell pepper in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes; add garlic and continue to saute until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large stockpot.
• Stir tomatoes, chicken broth, white wine, tomato paste, parsley, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper with the onion mixture in the stockpot; bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatoes are softened, about 15 minutes.
• Stir shrimp and cod chunks into the tomato mixture. Arrange clams and mussels in the liquid so they are partially submerged. Cover pot again and continue cooking until the clams and mussels open, 7 to 10 minutes.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Toast the star anise by stirring frequently in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Make the marinara base: Add the onion, garlic cloves, bell pepper and olive oil to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. (Or, finely chop the vegetables by hand, then add to the pot along with the oil.) Add the mixture to a large pot and cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until soft, translucent and light golden in places, about 5 minutes. Add the Bloody Mary mix, canned tomatoes and juices and tomato sauce. Get every last drop from the cans by swirling a splash of water into each one and tipping the remnants into the pot. Add the toasted star anise, oregano, basil, thyme, sugar and bay leaf, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring often so the bottom of the pot doesn't burn. (Makes 7 1/2 cups; see Tip.)
• While sauce simmers, roast the garlic: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the whole garlic heads in half crosswise. Divide garlic, cut-sides up, between two pieces of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap the garlic up like two presents. Drizzle with olive oil, then wrap tightly. Set the foil packets on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, until the garlic is light brown and tender all the way through.
• Make the garlic butter: Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out, discarding the skins. (You should have about 1 cup of roasted garlic.) Add to a food processor along with the softened butter and pulse until smooth and creamy. Or, smash the garlic to a paste and mix with the softened butter. (Makes 1 1/2 cups; see Tip.)
• Make the garlic bread: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup garlic butter on the cut sides of bread and season with salt and pepper. Set the bread, buttered-sides up on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden in spots, about 15 minutes. As soon as the garlic bread comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with dried oregano and the Parmesan. Cut into large pieces, then wrap the foil from the baking sheet around them to keep warm.
• While the bread bakes, make the cioppino: In a large Dutch oven or wide, heavy pot, add 4 cups of the marinara sauce, plus the clam juice, thyme sprigs and red-pepper flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper and heat over medium-high until simmering, about 5 minutes.
• Separate the legs and claws from the crab bodies. Once the sauce is simmering, gradually add the seafood, starting with the crab bodies. Cook for a couple minutes, then add the crab legs and claws to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Add the clams, nestling them into the sauce around the edges, like numbers on a clock, cover with a lid and cook for about 6 minutes. Give the mixture a stir then add the mussels, in the same fashion as the clams. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Once the clams start to open, add the fish, gently nestling it into the sauce, and set the shrimp right on top to let them steam gently. Add 2 tablespoons of the garlic butter, put the lid back on and simmer until the fish cooks through and the shrimp get plump, about 5 minutes.
• To serve, transfer the cioppino to a deep serving bowl, being careful not to break up the delicate cooked fish. Perch the crab legs and claws on top and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with warm garlic bread on the side.

QUICK CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat oil in large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
• Add next 4 ingredients; saute 6 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, clam juice, and wine; bring to boil.
• Reduce heat to medium; simmer 18 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add all seafood and 2 tablespoons parsley.
• Simmer until seafood is opaque in center, about 3 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

FOURTH STREET GRILL'S CIOPPINO

Steps:

• To prepare the croutons:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• To make the garlic oil, grind the whole head of garlic, including the skins, in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine sieve and add to the oil.
• Place the thin slices of baguette in a large mixing bowl and pour in enough garlic oil to coat thoroughly. Toss gently. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool.
• To prepare the rouille:
• Mash the garlic in a mortar with the peppers and the cayenne until they form a paste. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the egg yolk and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, drop by drop, whisking constantly until an emulsion begins to form. When all the oil is absorbed, taste and season with lemon juice and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• To prepare the cioppino:
• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Place well-drained tomatoes in a layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until lightly caramelized.
• Combine the stock, tomatoes, saffron and orange zest in a large kettle over low heat. Set aside and keep warm.
• Put enough olive oil to cover the bottom in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Add the fennel, leeks and carrots and cook about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and cook a minute more. Add the garlic, turn the heat to high, and add the Pernod and flame if possible. Add the fish stock combination, the clams and the crab. Cover tightly. After about 2 minutes add mussels and cover. As soon as the mussels and clams have opened, reduce heat to simmer.
• Have 8 large soup bowls warmed and arrange all the shellfish, with a quarter crab, 4 mussels and 3 clams in each bowl.
• Add the squid to the broth and let cook for 30 seconds. Taste the broth and season with salt. Arrange the squid in the bowls. Arrange 4 croutons upright in each bowl. Top a fifth with a tablespoon of rouille and place flat in the bowl. Carefully pour in broth and vegetables and serve immediately. Pass additional rouille at the table.