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Making cioppino or fish stew


Joni

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Looking at a couple different fish cioppino/stews recipes..some call for merlot, zinfandel or white wine. Silver Palate California Fish which someone told me was great called for zinfandel...and NOT to substitute. What is everyone's preference..? The base in all of these seem to be fish or clam juice, wine, tomatos, paste, etc.

Thanks

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i use vino blanco for all fish fumets-omit for basic stock. for cioppino/zuppa i make a fish stock then start on the base for the soup ie. sweat onion, fennel, tomato, etc, deglaze with white wine and add stock. I would not use commercial clam juice in place of stock or fumet unless pressed for time(or its really weak) and then just to boslter the soup.

Red wine i would reserve for "braising" a monkfish ragout or some such hearty dish. Or make a buerre rouge for salmon or other strong fish.

another thing to remember is there is no "right" recipe either. Do what tastes good.

Sorry this is probably more confusing now:(

hth, danny

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Fish stock....is there a good brand?

Home-made, only!

Go to your local fishmonger and ask for the heads they cut off and normally throw away.

I can't think a single pre-fabricated fish stock worth buying (and I'll cheat on chicken, beef, and vegetable in a pinch, but NEVER fish)!

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Fish stock can--and should--also be made much more quickly than chicken or beef. If you can remember to save and freeze shrimp, lobster and crab shells they go well in fish stock. And you can freeze the stock once you make it.

Arthur Johnson, aka "fresco"
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Welcome to eG Line Cook! :cool:

Great pic too. :wub:

I thought that cioppino and zuppa di pesca were sort of the same thing, only based upon what was the region's fresh catch of the day. I made this yesterday for a tailgate party that was today. Turned out wonderful with a guaranteed invite again for the next game and requests for more.

I've always used red wine because we usually drink red wine with it.

I look forward to more of your posts!

edit: I've been typo-ing all day, so why would this post be any different?! :biggrin:

Edited by beans (log)
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  • 4 years later...

I have suddenly, unexpectedly and most remarkably been gifted a big bag of various fish fillets. No bones, heads, guts or the like, just fillets. I've got salmon, cod and halibut. That's the good news. The bad news is they're a few days old so today is the day that they must be eaten.

Any sure hits - I can get most ingredients at my store, so hit me with your best recipes please!

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Rob, if it's not too late, try this. When I make cioppino it has clams, mussels, and crab. But Zuppa di Pesce can be made with fillets, and this is a delicious recipe that I got a zillion years ago fro a buddy on another cooking forum. I've made it many times for clients, and it's always a huge success.

* Exported from MasterCook *

SUPPA DE PESCE

Recipe By :

Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 large onions

9 TBS extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 strips lemon zest -- (3 inch)

2 or more large cloves of garlic

2 2/3 cups peeled and seeded chopped tomates

One bottle of DRY white wine

2 pounds combined filleted fresh fish -- cut into bite sized

pieces

Bring vinegar to a lively boil, over high heat, add onions, turn heat to

low and partially cover the pot. Cook until onions are soft and almost

transparent, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionaly. Once the onions are soft

and rosy colored, uncover the pot and let the vinegar bubble gently,

stirring frequently until it evaporates. Add the oil, salt and a generous

portion of ground black pepper. Slowly saute over medium low heat,

uncovered until the onions turn golden, stir frequently!

With the heat still at med low, stir in the lemon strips and garlic, cook

for another minute. Add tomatoes, raise the heat to high and bring to a

boil for about 5 minutes to thicken sauce. Add all of the wine and reduce

by 1/3.

No raw alcohol taste should remain. The flavors should be slightly sweet

with a tomoto/onion backdrop, slightly tart. Taste for seasoning.

Now, at this point, you might not think you have much. When you add

the seafood, the character of this dish takes on a whole new dimension.

His notes: I suggest, strongly, do not add more lemon strips than the recipe calls

for, at least not your first time. I tried it once, I like lemon, and IMHO,

ruined the dish.

I would also suggest keeping the initial batch simple, cut up some halibut

and shrimp, add the halibut, cook almost to done than add the shrimp, it is

simple and tasty. I've added lobster to very good effect. While I love

squid, it tends to make the dish too fishy mor many people. Other steak

like fish work well, swordfish comes to mind. Shy away from soft fish. NO

salmon, and while I like tuna, it has not worked well either.

It's an awesome dish.

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I have always used brandy not wine. That is the way I was first shown the dish. The tomato in the fumet gives a nice color and the brandy has a depth especially with the shellfish.

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I made Abra's recipe last night and it was very good. A few notes for the good of the cause. Here were my base ingredients:

gallery_41282_4708_4824.jpg

So you can see I used canned toms instead of fresh - these are great toms and the fresh ones aren't so much at this point in the year, so I think it was a good substitute. We used a cheaper wine just because it was the first time we made the recipe and I wasn't sure about dumping a more expensive bottle in just in case I didn't like it. I used cod, halibut and salmon - even though Abra made it crystal clear that salmon was not a good choice. And guess what? The salmon was the down point of the dish - bad taste and texture in this soup.

gallery_41282_4708_32376.jpg

I would not have minded a few potatoes in the soup or some other veggies, but the richness was enough to make this a meal for me. And Doodad's suggestion of brandy is interesting because throughout the meal I thought that Vin Jaune might be really nice in this soup - but I wasn't prepared to pour a $75 bottle in the pot for soup. Vin Jaune is often compared to brandy, and for a special occasion would be outstanding in this soup!

Thanks Abra.

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Hmm, was that Chard oaky, as Australian Chards are wont to be? Next time I'd suggest a Picpoul de Pinet for an inexpensive widely available wine that's really good with fish. But I'm glad that it was good enough for you to try again.

I use canned tomatoes most of the year too, they work just fine in this dish.

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