Ci-ci-ci-cioppino

Just when I think there’s nothing in the house to cook, J pulls a brilliant meal together that’s not only tasty but also uses up all the items in the frig and freezer that need using before they become the latest science project. On Friday night date night, J took freezer/frig/pantry inventory and came up with a tasty version of cioppino otherwise known as fish stew and traditionally served over spaghetti. The French call theirs bouillabaisse cooked with a long boil time, white wine & saffron; in Cajun country it’s called gumbo and served over rice. J’s version encapsulated a mixture of all three. Here is the picture documentary of the stages:

First sauté onions, garlic, carrots in a fine olive oil. Remember the carrots in the The Great Harvest post from a couple weeks ago? Well, these are those carrots!




Next, he added the tomato base for the broth. In this case we used Spicy V-8 from the pantry. At this point, plenty of seasoning was added. . . Old Bay, salt, pepper, oregano. . .etc. and big meaty chunks of white fish and andouille sausage. We had halibut in the freezer we needed to use.

Lastly, he added the salmon and let it simmer for a long while. Notice how the roux changed from red to a nice orangey yumminess. At the very end, he added the shrimp and mussels (not pictured here). He served it over rice and we ate it with flat bread!

I am so lucky.