[Vikingj]

The beauty of making cioppino is that recipes are quite variable and it always turns out delicious! When I was in college I went to a party where the host had prepared a huge pot of tomato base/fish stock and each person brought some sort of seafood. We didn’t worry about variety or measuring proportions and just dumped anything/everything into the pot- fish, squid, shellfish, bivalves, etc. Since then (40 yrs ago!) I have tried many variations and now I don’t worry about recipes- I just start with the basics and add/substitute/delete what I have or feel like at the time. It’s hard to go wrong.
Using above recipe as a bases, I would adjust it with the follow: if bivalves are expensive or unavailable I’ll use frozen scallops; I’m too lazy to make broth from scraps of fish/lobster/clam so I will use chicken broth; use Spanish (green) onion as well as regular onion, add chopped celery with green tops and fresh parsley (be sure to sauté all veggies until soft); substitute beer for wine (cheaper and I like the flavor better); must use good olive oil and fresh garlic (paste/dry garlic doesn’t make it); may use V-8 instead of tomato juice; throw the following spices directly into the mix- OREGANO, bay leaf, parsley, basil, and ? (“herb bouquets” are for sissies!), I omit the bell peppers. And now for my secret ingredients, ¼ - ½ lb of medium crisp, fried bacon cut into small pieces. Weird? yea, but try it! Experiment and don’t be afraid to try different combinations. Enjoy!
PS - Wrong Fri -date was 12/4 at Doho