Italian fishermen developed this ciopinno recipe during the mid-1800s. There are two stories about where the name "ciopinno" came from. Most believe it's based on an Italian soup called "ciuppin." A more colorful version is that the fisherman used to gather after the day's work was done and all tossed different pieces of fish and seafood into a communal pot for supper. They would call out to each other in broken English "chip in," "hey you, chip in," and this was the root of the word ciopinno. While it's not a likely story, it is certainly more interesting.
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups clam juice, or fish stock
2 cups white wine
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (2-pound) Dungeness crab, cracked and cleaned, or 1 pound frozen crabmeat thawed
2 pounds halibut fillet, cut into 1-inch slices
24 large prawns, peeled and deveined
12 mussels
Steps to Make It
In a large pot, on medium-low heat, melt the butter with the olive oil and saute the celery and onions until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add all the rest of the ingredients except the seafood and fresh parsley.
Simmer on low, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Add a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
Add the crab, shrimp, and halibut, and simmer covered another 5 minutes. Add the mussels, cover the pot and simmer for 3 minutes more, or until the mussels open. Turn off the heat and stir in the Italian parsley.
Ladle the ciopinno into large bowls and serve with lots of sourdough bread and red wine.
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