Cioppino
Phil's Fish Market Version
Watch Phill make the Cioppino below.
Here it is: Phil's Fish Market Cioppino recipe, AKA the best Cioppino on the West Coast. Straight from the master himself, Phil DiGirolamo of Phil's Fish Market.
Phil’s Fish Market, originally the Fish Market at Moss Landing, opened in 1982 in a small 250 sq ft space. Phil sold local fish, and the shop soon became known as Phil’s Fish Market. The first food item was Mama Nina’s family Cioppino recipe, which gained fame, won a contest against Bobby Flay, and was featured worldwide. In 2022, Phil celebrated 40 years and moved to a historic 1869 schoolhouse location in Castroville, three miles from Moss Landing. Through many changes and challenges, Phil’s continues to serve fresh seafood with gratitude to its customers.
History of Cioppino:
Cioppino is a San Francisco-originating seafood stew created by Italian immigrant fishermen in the late 1800s. The dish's name comes from the Ligurian dialect word "ciuppin," meaning "chopped," or from the phrase "chip in," which fishermen would use when pooling their catch for a communal stew. It was difficult for them to pronounce the word "ciuppin," so… Cioppino was born.
“Originally made with leftover fish from the day's catch, it evolved into a rich stew featuring tomatoes, wine, herbs, and a variety of seafood like crab, shrimp, clams, and fish.
This is my best attempt to recreate this iconic recipie.
Ingredients
Cioppino Sauce:
3 T EVOO olive oil
2 large onion, white or yellow halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped sweet basil
15 ounce canned peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 cup canned tomato puree
2 T brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Cioppino Sauce:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, salt and sauté until translucent, about 8 min.
2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, basil, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and cinnamon. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
For the Cioppino:
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 T pesto(optional)
1.25 tablespoon unsalted butter
1.25 clove garlic, chopped
½ cup chopped basil
1/2 cup dry white wine or sherry
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup clam juice
1.5 pound Little Neck clams
1/2 cup chopped clams
1 pound mussels, scrubbed , remove any “beard”
Pinch saffron
16 oz medium raw shrimp, remove the shell and devein 21/25
1 1/2 lb pound cod- firm-fleshed white fish fillets, cut in 2-inch cubes
12oz pound bay scallops 10/20 dry packed sliced in half, remove the tendon
2.5 quarts Cioppino Sauce, recipe follows
For the Cioppino/Seafood:
Instructions
Put the olive oil,, deep pot over medium high heat, and cook, stirring, Add the mussels, chopped basil, wine or sherry and the garlic and Worcestershire sauce, saffron and salt., stir and cover.
cover and steam until they just start to open, about 2 minutes.
Now stir in the cioppino sauce,
Then gently place the cod and the scallops, and bring to a boil the turn down to a simmer until they are all just cooked through, about 2-5 minutes. Do not stir!
Add the remaining shrimp, push the shrimp under the sauce.
Remove from the heat and let the seafood finish cooking.
