Werner’s Northwest Cioppino

A dear friend of mine, Verna Fenzl (formally Verna Eisen) and I were talking about great recipes.  She mentioned that her father, Werner Eisen, had a great Cioppino recipe.  He believed in a rich man's cioppino, meaning little or no fish.   So, here is Warner's recipe.  He has included various amounts of ingredients depending upon the size of the crowd being fed.  And, of course, the fish is always optional.  Enjoy.

Ingredients

• ½ Cup Salt Pork
• ¼ Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Cups Onions, sliced
• 2 Stalks Celery, chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Salt/Pepper (¼ Teaspoon each to taste)
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Basil, chopped
• ½ Teaspoon Fresh Oregano, chopped
• ¼ Cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1 Cup Clam Juice
• 28 Ounce can of Italian Tomatoes, undrained
• 8 Ounces of Tomato Paste
• 1-½ Pound of the following mix of seafood
• Mussels, in shell
• Clams, in shell
• Shrimp, peeled
• Scallops
• Oysters
• Fresh or Frozen Crab
• If you wish to add fish add Halibut, Lingcod, Rockfish or Seabass.  These would be included in the 1-½ pound mixture of seafood

Procedure

• Sauce the Salt Pork, Onions, Garlic and Celery in Olive Oil
• Add Clam Juice, Tomatoes, and tomatoe paste
• Add Salt and Pepper, Basil, Oregano, and Parsley
• Simmer Covered for 30 minutes
• If you include fish - Add fish, cover and simmer for about 10-20 minutes
• Add Scallops, Clams in Shell, Shrimp and Mussels and Oysters
• Simmer for about 10 minutes longer (or until fish flakes if fish was included). Othersise, until Mussel and/or Clam shells open. 

Now, Warner left a table of quanities for various numbers of servings.  The table below can be followed for large groups.