Poor Folks’ Chopped Seafood Stew
Most and maybe all rich folks’ food is just fancied-up poor folks’ food. Case in point: Cioppino, aka shellfish stew Provencale, a tomato and seafood stew that literally means “chopped up”. It first got attention in San Francisco, where Italian-American immigrants would make stew from the catch-of-the-day at the docks. There are several stories about its creation, but I favor the theory that it began in Italy as ciuppin, a soup made from fish scraps, old bread, white wine, onion, and garlic.
A friend makes a great cioppino, but her ingredients are pricey and her process is time-consuming. I took her recipe and created the quick and cheap version, which is still pretty great. Because it’s a poor folks’ dish, the ingredients are suggestions, not requirements. I like strong flavors, so where I say a dash or splash, I’d use a heavy hand.
Ingredients:
2 cans of tuna, or any seafood you have.
1 14.5 oz (411 g) can of diced or crushed tomatoes (if you like spicy, look for a can of diced tomatoes and green chilis)
1 or 2 onions, chopped
olive or other oil
several cloves of garlic or a dash of garlic powder
a dash of cayenne or paprika or any red pepper
a dash of thyme
a bay leaf
a splash of lemon or orange juice
a dash of black pepper
a cup of white wine
Directions:
Fry the vegetables and spices, preferably in olive oil.
Add wine and tomato and bring to a boil.
Add the seafood.
Simmer for twenty minutes or so if you’ve got the time, though you can eat it as soon as you think it’s warm enough. (Or put it in the refrigerator to eat later. The longer it sits, the more the flavors mature.)
Serve with bread or crackers. Garlic bread’s especially nice.
