Flank to Flame

By Tony Niccoli

You’ll never forget your first bowl. For me it came in early 90’s on a foggy day in Monterey. I was on a road trip with my parents, little brother, and our grandmother. We were heading up the coast from Grandma’s house to Palo Alto to see a friendly match ahead of the 94 World Cup that America was about to host. For me, Monterey was my favorite stop along the way. I was fascinated by the aquarium, made especially relevant by my absolute certainty at that point in life that I was going to become a marine biologist. I adored the Cannery Row, with an amazing history in and out of literature, and I got a chance to taste something I would never forget. Cioppino, for those who have never tried it would be most basically described as a seafood stew. But whatever you pictured when I said that is most likely completely wrong! This hearty classic is actually started with a tomato base and very Italian seasonings.

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This holiday season, treat them to the gift they really want. 226 w. 6th moscow | 208.882.2739 If you go back to the beginning in the late 1800’s – a little north of Monterey where I first tried it – Cioppino was a way for the community of Italian fishermen living in San Francisco to take care of each other. It started in the neighborhood of North Beach, just to the south-east of Fisherman’s Wharf. As boats would come in with their morning’s catch, they would all “chip in” a little to a communal pot that was already simmering and ready on the docks. Today might have been an especially abundant day for the crabbing boats, or bountiful harvest for the shrimpers. Either way, it went into the pot. Mussels, clams, rock fish, crab, shrimp, cod, squid, scallops, halibut – if you had a little to spare, you put a little in the pot. If you had a great day, you threw in a lot more.

So, there they were, making sure that anyone who got completely skunked that morning would still have a delicious lunch, and a little something to take home to their family. Every morning, without fail, an older retired fisherman would be starting that broth when they knew the boats were about to return. Tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, oregano, white wine, parsley, red-pepper flakes, celery, fennel – it didn’t matter. Just whatever they could rustle up that day from the local neighborhood donations. As the boats tied off and started selling their catch, a crew member would hurry over with a donation to the pot. That sense of community along with the incredible variety are what make cioppino so special! Sure, you might find a favorite restaurant that has a special recipe and fall in love. But as soon as you try it on your own, or venture out to a different location, you’ll find that some other chef has a completely distinct idea of what should really go into a proper cioppino. And yours truly even goes so far as to use the grill sometimes! With an article that I know will find you deep into November, or even already into the bitter cold of December, I wanted to offer a hearty, soul-warming, favorite of mine – and extend that option of grilling, even though I know most of you will be warm and sung in the kitchen.

First, for the real grillers, who are never truly satisfied unless there is a grill-line or crust present at every meal, allow me to explain my thinking here. Cioppino is meant to be altered, re-interpreted daily; always passed though some new imagination or ingredient constraint. So, I thought to myself, why not toss some of this on the grill? I knew that the broth needed those sweet shellfish notes to fully develop, but I reasoned that a fillet of cod wasn’t really adding to that melody and could be seared for a little texture. For my “grilling style” cioppino, I make sure that a white fish and scallop are both on my list. And while all the rest gets done traditionally in a large pot on the stove inside, I run out for a quick cook on the grill. I cook the fish fillet whole, and I use a smaller bay scallop and run a metal kebab skewer through them to make it easy to control and flip them all together. Like anything that goes onto the grill, both the fish and scallops get brushed with oil and hit with a little salt. In this case, I use less salt than I normally would because of all the flavors already working in the pot inside. I make sure that the grill is well-oiled before they go on as well to prevent sticking at the turn. For a 1 inch thick piece of white fish I usually expect around 8-9 minutes on the grill. I start by heating it to high temperature for a little extra sear, but I cook indirect over a medium-high heat. For gas, just turn it down as the fish goes on. For charcoal, keep that lid down as you come up to temperature, and time the placement for when you are expecting to be a little past the high point with the coals well settled in. If you have the grill all the way up to temperature before the fish goes on, and give the grates a last-second coat of oil, you can almost guarantee you-

-won’t be leaving anything behind when its time to pull it. Remember that your fish will be on about twice the time as the scallops, so if you put them down with the flip at 4-5 minutes you should be perfect. Give them a flip at 3 minutes and close that lid again until you pull the fish.

I also like to serve it with a good crusty bread that is thin-sliced, oiled and grilled, So I put these down with my scallops. In just a few minutes I’m ready and heading back inside with beautiful grill lines and a seared exterior that I think really adds to the overall texture and flavor of the dish. Since they are already fully cooked, I just drop in the scallops and break up chunks of the fish as the cioppino is being served.

Again, if you don’t want to face the cold this month, or can’t find your grill under the mounds of snow, rest assured that a kitchen-only prep will still be delicious! So here is my basic recipe (sometimes). Remember to just go with what you find available that day, what you like best, or what you have on hand. If you really want to make it the classic way, invite over a few friends and ask them to each bring a random type of seafood that would normally go into cioppino – “chip in” and have fun seeing what comes out!

Starter Recipe:

Heat ¼ cup Olive Oil, 1 bulb of chopped fennel, over medium heat. Cook for 8 minutes until it is soft, then add 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon oregano, and two finely chopped garlic cloves, cooking for a few minutes until you are overwhelmed by the amazing smell! Add a full can (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes along with all the juice, and up to ¼ cup tomato paste if you want to thicken it a little. Stir in 1.5 cups of Pino Grigio or any dry white wine and 4 cups of fish stock or clam juice. Add 2 bay leaves and 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper then bring it up to a boil before turning down the heat and simmering for 30 minutes to reduce your stock and let those flavors dance. Add a pound of clams and a pound of scrubbed mussels and cover for 4-5 minutes. This should allow the shellfish to start opening before you add 1 pound of cleaned and peeled shrimp and one pound of chunked cod or halibut. Simmer for another 5-6 minutes uncovered until the fish and shrimp are opaque.

Get rid of those bay leaves and any shellfish that haven’t opened before you serve. I give a little taste here and add salt and pepper flakes if needed, then sprinkle on some parsley once its in the bowls. Most places drop your toasted bread right in there, but I’m a purist and like to serve it on the side for maximum crunch on the first bite.

But this is your cioppino, so ignore the things you don’t like, add whatever you want, and serve it up your way. I guarantee you’ll never forget your first bowl!