This rich, tomato-laced seafood stew with the Italian-sounding name never actually graced the kitchens of Italy. It was, in fact, first cooked by Italian fishermen in San Francisco, and was originally made to use up the odds and ends left over from the day's catch.
A Seafood Sampler
Cioppino begins with a base of tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions and white wine. Crab is usually the main ingredient, but cioppino almost always contains other kinds of fish and shellfish as well, such as shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, squid, crab, lobster, and pieces of halibut or monkfish. Not surprisingly, there are as many "original" recipes for cioppino as there are people who love it.
Dig In!
With its bounty of precious seafood, cioppino is a delicacy often reserved for special occasions. However, it's a hearty meal and almost impossible to eat daintily--so have fun and eat with your hands! Roll up your sleeves, pile napkins on the table and slice a loaf of sourdough bread to sop up the broth.
Sourdough
The only "real" San Francisco sourdoughs come from the Bay Area, from unique sourdough cultures. Don't let that stop you from making your own sourdough starter: follow the instructions for feeding your starter in our "Yeast: The Basics" article.
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