Cioppino vs Cacciucco = Cioppucco - a Tuscan Foodie recipe

The first time I saw cioppino on a menu in San Francisco I didn't have a clue what it was. How is it possible, I was told: it is Italian. This is a fish soup which is said to have been invented by San Francisco fishermen originally from Genoa. However, as far as I could find, there is no trace of a dish called cioppino in any of the Italian regional books I own, nor could any of my friends from Genoa remember of having heard the word. As many other things Italian-American, it turns out it isn't Italian.

Where it comes from doesn't matter though in the end: the point is that it is a fish soup, it is delicious, and it is indeed in line with the many fish soups you can find in Italy.

Whatever coastal city you go to in Italy (and there are a lot of them, since Italy's shoreline is more than 8000 km long, almost 5000 miles) you will find a fish soup. It will be called different things, it will have different fish in it, but you will find it.  People will tell you that you must use white wine, no, actually red wine, what are you talking about you can only use dry vermouth...hey, don't even joke, you only use water. 

Got the picture? There are as many fish soups in Italy as there are fish in the sea. One of the most famous though, is the cacciucco. Originally from Livorno (a city that people from Pisa, like me, hate with a passion), cacciucco derives from the Turkish kucuk, which means tiny, referred to the small fish and pieces of fish used in the soup.

Nowadays, any restaurant serving you a fish soup in Italy or in the US will ask for a stiff price. From a historical point of view this is actually funny: originally fish soups were made by fishermen with the scraps of fish that they couldn't manage to sell, because they either didn't look particularly good, or because they were the worst cuts. In a stew, though, they would develop a lot of nice flavors and feed a ton of people. But if there ever was a poor man food, fish soup  is the one. Keep it in mind next time they ask you $30 for a cioppino or 25 Euros for a cacciucco.

Tuscan foodie's cioppuccio fish soup (serves 4)
(Print or dowload this recipe)

Now, back to us. In light of the historical development that I just explained, giving a recipe for a fish soup is always odd. Simply, use whatever fresh fish you will find, or use whatever shells you like. Even I don't have a fixed recipe, although some things are ALWAYS there: clams, mussels, tomatoes, white wine. But for the rest, feel free to improvise: add octopus, calamari, whatever you feel like adding. The important thing is that you follow a number of steps to develop the flavors. And this is how you do it.

I called this soup cioppucco (from cioppino and cacciucco) in honor of my Tuscan origins and of my new home.

One word about the cost: If you buy fresh fish, the biggest expenditure will be represented by the shrimps. So you can either omit them, or use frozen shrimps (you can actually make the whole stew with frozen fish, if you prefer).

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound (450g) mussels, clean, in the shell
• 1 pound clams (450g) (the smallest you can find), clean, in the shell
• 8-10 large shrimps, with the shell, but deveined
• 12 oz (350gr) of white fish, chopped in bite sized pieces: whatever you have: I often use tilapia, but it could be any white fish that you have in the freezer or that the fish market has cheap at that moment
• 10-12 mini bay scallops (but you can use normal scallops - 8/12 of them - or omit them)
• 1/2 can of diced tomatoes
• a handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 cups of dry white wine (pinot grigio, verdicchio work perfectly)
• 4 tbsp of chopped parsley
• 2 peperoncini finely chopped (or chile de arbol, if it is easier to find for you - remember tha chile de arbol is hotter than peperoncino)
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 slices of baguette or ciabatta bread

How to make it

• Heat the olive oil in pan large enough to contain all the fish and the broth that you will develop. I use cast iron because it better conveys the heat to the food, but any large pan with a lid will do. 
• Add the chopped parsley, onion, garlic, pepper and let it all go for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are soft. Stir occasionally.
• Add the wine, let the alcohol evaporate for 2-3 minutes. Stir.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and the chopped cherry tomatoes. Bring to boil, reduced the heat and let it simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Not much though, because the shells will be salty. Stir now and then.
• Add the shrimps, the white fish, bring it back to boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add the bay scallops or the traditional scallops if you are using them and let it all go for an additional 5 minutes. 
• Add the clams and mussels that you will have washed in cold water before. Let it all go for 5 minutes, or until all the mussels and clams are all open. If you are using big clams beware: they may take a long time to open, far more than the mussels. You will be running the risk of overcooking the rest of your fish. So, if you are using big clams, cook them separately in a pan, covered, until they are open, and then add them to the stew when the mussels are open. 
• Let it rest 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Plate in plates that you will have warmed up in an oven, putting the bread on top, on the side.
• Devour

For the bread:

Put the slices of bread in a on oven at 400F (200C) and roast them for 10 minutes, turning them once. Brush with 1/2 clove of garlic and put on plates.