Cioppino - Italian Fish Stew

San Francisco is a seafood lovers kind of city. I visited a few years back and I was blown away by all of the great seafood available in this fine city. One dish that I tried for the first time was Cioppino. I can best describe this seafood stew with one word...AWESOME!!

I am a big soup guy anyway, but the flavors that come out in this soup, are to die for. I used as much fresh local seafood as I could for this recipe. Rockfish from the Chesapeake, Clams from Indian River Inlet in Delaware, and Mussels from a farm in Delaware. The Shrimp and Scallops are not available around here, so I just picked them up at the store. For the fish stock, I used some frozen clam juice that I saved from steaming a batch earlier in the summer. 

As you are starting to realize, this soup was invented using whatever ingredients were available at the time. So to be as authentic as possible...do the same thing. Use what you have available. 

Ingredients:
4 cloves of Garlic, Chopped

1 stalk of Celery, finely minced
1 small Onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp of Fresh Parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
Pinch of Hot Pepper Flakes
1 Cup of Pinot Grigio (or whatever white wine you have sitting around)
15 oz can of Crushed or Diced Tomatoes
3 Cups of Fish Stock

Seafood:

1 Pound fish fillets

1 pound of Mussels, cleaned, 1 pound of Clams, cleaned
1 pound of Shrimp, peeled and deveined, 1/2 pound of Bay Scallops

Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Add the oil in a large pot and preheat over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery,  pepper flakes and parsley, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the veggies begin to cook down.

2) Add the wine and let it cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and the fish stock. Let the mixture come up to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

3) Add the seafood and cover with a lid, cook for about 5 to 10 minutes or until all the shellfish has opened and the shrimp and scallops are firm.

4) Ladle into bowls, add a pinch or two of chopped fresh parsley, and serve with some crusty garlic bread. Enjoy!

Stuffed Flounder - Chesapeake Style

Up and down the east coast more fisherman target Flounder than any other species. Seaside inlets and bays are filled with boats and anglers drifting live minnows, strips of squid, or various artificial baits in hopes of hooking up with a flat fish during the summer vacation months. 

If you've eaten Flounder, there is no surprise why so many people pursue this tasty game fish. the light flaky meat, with its firm texture and mild taste make it a favorite at most restaurants along the coast. Here, we will pair it with another restaurant favorite, blue crab meat. This recipe is simple to make and very tasty! Enjoy!

• 1 1/2 lbs. flounder fillets
• 1 cup backfin Chesapeake crab meat
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon roasted red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 4 saltine crackers, crushed
• 1 egg, separated
• 6 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley for garnish
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Rinse and dry the Flounder. Remove the shell from crab meat and add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, green pepper, salt, pepper, Old Bay, and crackers. In a small bowl or measure, combine egg white and 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise. Add to crab mixture and toss until well blended. Brush fillets  with melted butter. Place Flounder in greased shallow baking pan and top center of each fillet with even amounts of the crab mixture. fold fillets over top of crab meat. Drizzle remaining butter over top of stuffed fillets. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Combine egg yolk and remaining mayonnaise. Spread egg mixture on top of each fillet and sprinkle with paprika. Increase temperature to 450° and bake 6 minutes longer, or until golden and bubbly.