Cioppino Style Roasted Crab Recipes

CIOPPINO-STYLE ROASTED CRAB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in large deep ovenproof skillet or large metal roasting pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil 2 minutes. Add clam juice, tomatoes with juice, 1 cup water, bay leaves, parsley, and crushed red pepper and bring to boil. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 15 minutes. Add crab pieces; nestle into sauce. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until crab pieces are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Place crab with juices in large bowl.

CRAB CIOPPINO

Steps:

• In an 8-quart kettle or pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until transparent. Add the garlic and saute until it begins to brown. Stir in crab butter and let cook slowly for 2 minutes (crab butter is saffron yellow in color and adds a distinctive rich flavor). Next, add the wine, and reduce. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, broth, and live crabs.
• To simmer at low heat for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp, clams, mussels and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve in a bowls and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste.
• If your crab is cooked ahead of time, add it to the recipe at the same time you add the clams, shrimp, and mussels.
• *Fresh crab usually has yellowish matter under the shell in the center of the body, called crab butter, or fat, or mustard. It is edible and considered quite tasty.
• Warm heavy skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil and diced onion. When onion becomes transparent, add the garlic and cook until lightly brown. Add tomatoes, basil leaves, salt and pepper, and simmer for 45 minutes.;

CIOPPINO (SAN FRANCISCO SEAFOOD STEW)

Steps:

• For the Seafood Stock: In a large, 8- or 12-quart heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, fennel, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• Add crabs, if using, and shrimp shells, and cook, stirring and scraping, until shells are cooked through and turning red, about 4 minutes.
• Add white wine, bring to a boil, then cook until raw alcohol smell is gone, about 4 minutes. Add fish heads and bones along with the clam juice. Cover with water (at least 2 quarts). Add parsley, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour. Strain seafood stock and reserve until ready to make cioppino. You should have about 2 quarts (1.9L); add enough water to bring total volume of the stock up to 2 1/2 quarts (2.4L), then set aside.
• Meanwhile, for the Roasted Red Pepper Salsa: Working directly over the flame of a gas burner or under a broiler, cook the red bell peppers, turning occasionally, until deeply charred all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, cover with plastic, and let stand 5 minutes.
• Using paper towels, rub charred skin off peppers. Stem and seed peppers, then roughly chop flesh and add to a blender jar or tall, narrow vessel compatible with an immersion blender.
• Add olive oil, lemon juice, chile paste and minced fresh herbs and blend until fairly smooth. Season red pepper salsa with salt, then set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the Cioppino: In a large 8- or 12-quart, heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, fennel, garlic, red pepper flakes, and chile paste (if using). Season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until very soft but not browned, about 15 minutes; lower heat if necessary to prevent browning.
• Add crushed tomatoes and their juices along with the 2 1/2 quarts (2.4L) seafood stock. Bring to a simmer, then add mussels and cook just until they pop open, about 4 minutes. Using tongs and a spider or slotted spoon, lift out and transfer mussels to a bowl. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Add squid and cook at a gentle simmer for 25 minutes. While the squid cooks, shell all but 12 of the mussels, then transfer to a warmed platter; cover with foil and, optionally, a small amount of hot broth to keep warm.
• Add clams and cook until they just begin to pop open, about 6 minutes. Using tongs and a spider or slotted spoon, lift out clams and add to platter with mussels.
• Season halibut with salt, then place in a large strainer and lower into the simmering broth until fully submerged, then cook until halibut is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer halibut to platter with the clams to keep warm.
• Season shrimp with salt, then place in the same strainer and lower into the simmering broth, then cook until just pink, about 1 minute. Transfer shrimp to the platter and keep warm.
• In warmed serving bowls, arrange the mussels (both shell-on and off), clams, halibut, and shrimp. If using crabmeat, add to the strainer and lower into the simmering broth until just warmed through, about 30 seconds, then remove and arrange on the plate. If any of the seafood has cooled too much, you can place it in the strainer and dip it back into the simmering broth before plating. Using a ladle, spoon the broth and squid into each bowl. Garnish with toasted sourdough and serve, passing the red pepper condiment on the side.

CRAB AND SEAFOOD CIOPPINO

Steps:

• In a large stockpot over high heat, add olive oil and slowly cook onions and garlic until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the basil, parsley, oregano, thyme and black pepper. Season with salt. Add dry red pepper, if desired. Add canned tomatoes and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add stock and wine and reduce heat to a simmer.
• About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, start to add seafood. Add the crabs as they will take about 15 to 18 minutes to cook. About 3 to 5 minutes after the crabs are added, add the clams and/or mussels. About 10 minutes later, add the prawns. After 2 minutes, add the scallops and fish fillets and cook for 3 minutes, or until the clams and/or mussels open. Discard any unopened shellfish.
• Serve in bowls with bread.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large (12-inch) heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 10 minutes, until tender. Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, stock, wine, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. The stock will be highly seasoned.
• Add the seafood in the following order: first the cod, then the shrimp, scallops, and finally the mussels. Do not stir! Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the seafood is cooked and the mussels are open. Stir in the Pernod, being careful not to break up the fish; cover and set aside for 3 minutes for the flavors to blend. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Ladle into large shallow bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot with Garlic Toasts.
• Warm the oil in a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add 1 1/2 quarts water, the wine, tomato paste, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for one hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing on the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. If not, add enough water or white wine to make 1 quart.
• Cool completely, transfer to containers, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice the baguette diagonally in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Depending on the size of the baguette, you should get 20 to 25 slices.
• Lay the slices in one layer on a sheet pan, brush each with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned and crisp. As soon as they're cool enough to handle, rub the top of the toasts with a cut side of the garlic. Serve at room temperature.

CIOPPINO (SEAFOOD STEW)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in thyme, oregano, red-pepper flakes, and bay leaf.
• Add crushed tomatoes and their juice, white wine, water, and clam juice; bring to a simmer.
• Add crab and clams. Simmer, covered, until crab shells turn bright pink and clam shells open, about 10 minutes. Season fish with salt and pepper. Add fish and shrimp to stockpot. Simmer, covered, until fish is opaque and shrimp are pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Discard bay leaf and any unopened clams.
• Remove pot from heat. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper.