Crab season is on, but is the crab safe to eat? Leigh Glaser talks to the chef of one of San Francisco's oldest fisheries and family restaurants, Scoma's. Plus she'll show you how to make Cioppino the "lazy man's" way.
Scoma's restaurant in San Francisco
Pier 47, Al Scoma Way
San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf
Phone: (415) 771-4383
Web site: www.scomas.com
Scoma's Lazy Man's Cioppino
(Serves 4 - 6)
Prep time: 30-45 minutes
Cook time: 30-40 minutes
- Ingredients:
- Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook garlic for one minute.
- Add the onions and let them sweat for two or three minutes.
- Turn heat to high and add the wine to deglaze. Cook for 2-3 minutes (or until reduced in half) then reduce heat to medium.
- Add fresh oregano and basil.
- Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
- Slowly add fish, shellfish, and shrimp meat.
- Bring the cioppino back to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until all the seafood is cooked.
- Add cooked crab meat.
- Thin the cioppino to your liking with fish stock or clam juice.
- Adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper.
- Serve in a large bowl with fresh sourdough bread and enjoy!
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 cups fish stock or clam juice
6 cups of your favorite tomato sauce
1 lb rock cod cut into 1" cubes
1.5 lbs Manila clams
12oz prawns (deveined and peeled)
1 lb cooked crab meat
8oz bay shrimp
12oz scallops
Salt and pepper
Procedure:
This dish is a natural with most kinds of pasta such as linguine, angel hair, fettuccini or penne.
About Scoma's:
San Francisco's only fish receiving station to give the public a peek At Scoma's, tucked into San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf for more than 40 years, the public can watch seafood being off-loaded directly from fishing boats and prepared for the kitchen thanks to its fish receiving station (FRS). Built in 1993, the FRS and the restaurant's commercial fishing license permit direct purchase of the freshest seafood available.
The FRS provides space for Scoma's fish cutters to inspect seafood to ensure top quality and then fillet, trim and prepare the fish to be used exclusively at the restaurant.
The public is invited to watch the process of taking the fish from the boat to stove daily from 8 to 10:30 AM. The 600-square-foot fish receiving station was built on the site of an original receiving station that was relegated to an aging storage facility. Scoma's management worked diligently for four years to obtain city approval and permits to construct and open the off-loading and processing station.
"Scoma's fish receiving station allows us to receive seafood directly from local boats and wholesalers, assuring faster handling and processing of the catch," explains Scoma's president Tom Creedon. "Since we added windows to the design, our customers can watch our experts prepare the fresh seafood for the kitchen."
The facility also allows the popular restaurant to extend the varieties of fish that are delivered "in the round" or whole. Seafood received directly includes wild salmon and Dungeness crab.
"We've always been proud of Scoma's top quality standards," claims Creedon. "We love showcasing Scoma's seafood expertise in a facility that is truly unique to the Wharf."
in 1965, when brothers Al and Joseph Scoma took over a six-table coffee shop to serve fishermen on the wharf. Using their mother's recipe collection, the Scoma brothers' humble café About Scoma's Steeped with a family tradition of quality and service, San Francisco's most popular and venerable seafood restaurant first opened became so popular that it is now one of the highest volume independent restaurants on the west coast. In fact, Scoma's was recognized by Newsweek Magazine for having one of the best clam chowders in the country (Jan. 10, 2005).
Serving more than 450,000 locals and visitors annually, Scoma's popular seafood specialties have garnered critical acclaim throughout the past 40 years. While Scoma's embraces a traditional San Francisco style, its philosophy towards the environment is progressive yet simple: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. By following this motto, the restaurant has scored the San Francisco Department of the Environment's Commercial Recycler of the Year's coveted "Golden Dumpster Award" in the Large Restaurants category for four consecutive years.
Truly a family affair rich with San Francisco tradition, Scoma's continually seeks to provide a memorable San Francisco waterfront dining experience. In addition to the Fisherman's Wharf location at Pier 47, Scoma's also operates a restaurant in Sausalito by the same name. For more information, please visit www.scomas.com.
This year, native San Franciscan Steve Scarabosio, celebrates 22 years of the freshest fish. Steve's philosophy is simple - "Let the food speak for itself."
