Cioppino with Fennel, Tomato, and Tons of Seafood

"With its creaky waiters in white aprons and a menu of classic San Francisco favorites, Tadich Grill has become a world- famous institution, perhaps best known for its cioppino. The stew was once a rather cheap meal, likely “created” by Genoese fishermen who had been out of luck with the day’s catch and pooled whatever they had to make a simple meal dockside. With Tadich’s modern rendition, stocked with halibut, crab, and scallops, it’s become a splurge. A lot of cioppino recipes use ketchup as a stand-in for long-stewed tomatoes. The Instant Pot is the perfect vehicle to take this classic back to its roots. We thought about revamping knock-off cioppino recipes from big chain restaurants, but we decided instead to re-create the best. You can cheat with purchased garlic bread!

Duration

50 Minutes

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook, Saute

Keywords

4-6 servings, 50 minutes, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, butter, chicken broth, fresh cherrystone clams, fresh mussels, instant pot, medium celery stalk, medium garlic cloves, medium shrimp, minced chives or the green part of a scallion, minced stemmed fresh oregano leaves, olive oil, one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, pasteurized lump crabmeat, pressure cook, red pepper flakes, san francisco favorites, saute, sea scallops, seafood, skinless halibut fillet, small fennel bulb, small yellow or white onion, stemmed fresh thyme leaves, table salt, tadich grill, toasted garlic bread

Servings

4-6 Servings

Ingredients

3 cups chicken broth
6 fresh cherrystone clams
12 fresh mussels
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow or white onion
1 small fennel bulb
1 medium celery stalk
3 medium garlic cloves
One 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons minced stemmed fresh oregano leaves
2 teaspoons stemmed fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon table salt
Up to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces (½ pound) skinless halibut fillet
8 ounces (½ pound) medium shrimp
8 ounces (½ pound) sea scallops
8 ounces (½ pound) pasteurized lump crabmeat
Minced chives or the green part of a scallion
Toasted garlic bread

Instructions

In all models, press Saute. Set it for Medium, Normal, or Custom 300°F. Set time for 10 Minutes. If needed, press Start.
As the pot heats, pour the broth into the insert set in a 5-, 6-, 8-, or 10-quart Instant Pot. Continue heating until the broth is steamy without boiling, 4 or 5 Minutes. Add the clams and mussels. Turn off the Saute function and lock the lid onto the pot.
For all models, set pot for Pressure Cook or Manual. Set level to High, valve must be closed. Set time for 3 Minutes with the Keep Warm setting off. If needed, press Start.
When the pot has finished cooking, use the quick-release method to bring the pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker.
Use kitchen tongs to transfer the clams and mussels to a nearby medium bowl. Set a fine-mesh strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl in the sink and use hot pads or silicone baking mitts to drain and strain the liquid from the (hot!) insert into that bowl (thereby removing the sand and grit). Return the insert to the cooker; set the mollusks and the liquid aside separately.
In all models, press Saute. Set it for Medium, Normal, or Custom 300°F. Set time for 5 Minutes. If needed, press Start.
As the pot heats, melt the butter in the oil in the insert. Add the onion, fennel, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion softens, about 3 Minutes. Stir in the garlic until aromatic, just a few seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, salt, and red pepper flakes, as well as the reserved cooking liquid from the mollusks. Turn off the Saute function and lock the lid onto the cooker.
For all models, set pot for Pressure Cook or Manual. Set level to High, valve must be closed. Set time for 3 Minutes with the Keep Warm setting off. If needed, press Start.
When the pot has finished cooking a second time, use the quick-release method to bring the pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Set the halibut, shrimp, and scallops in the broth mixture. Lock the lid back onto the cooker.
For all models, set pot for Pressure Cook or Manual. Set level to High, valve must be closed. Set time for 1 Minute with the Keep Warm setting off. If needed, press Start.
The moment the pot reaches high pressure (that is, beyond when the pin pops up but just as the panel begins to count down, an indicator flips from On to Pressure, the timer starts flashing, or the pot beeps in some way to tell you it’s now at pressure), use the quick-release method to bring the pressure back to normal. Do not unlatch the lid; set the cooker aside for 1 Minute.
Unlatch the lid and open the pot. Gently stir in the reserved clams and mussels, as well as the crabmeat. Set the lid askew over the pot and let these ingredients warm for a couple of minutes. Then ladle the stew into bowls, garnish with chives or scallions, and serve alongside toasted garlic bread.
For a 3-quart Instant Pot, you must halve all of the ingredient amounts.
For an 8- or 10-quart Instant Pot, you can increase all of the ingredients by 50 percent.