To Eat At Someone Else's Table: Marissa's Mom’s Christmas Cacciucco with Saffron & Coriander
My fifth guest of To Eat at Someone Else’s Table is Marissa of @eatsandbeatsdc. Have you ever met someone and knew instantly you’d be friends? That’s how I felt when I first “met” Marissa. I use met in quotations because we actually haven’t met in person yet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, we’ve become fast Instagram friends who share a love of good food and music. I am constantly inspired by her cooking, her thoughtful approach to different food cultures, and her appreciation for local farmers and food providers. I can’t wait for when it’s safe again to enjoy a home-cooked meal with Marissa, chatting about our favorite spices and more.
Learn more about Marissa her connection to food, and her Mom’s Christmas Cacciucco with Saffron & Coriander!
Interview with Marissa
Tell us about yourself!
“My name is Marissa (Mar for short) and I am a holistic food “blogger” [@eatsandbeatsdc] and recipe developer based in Washington, DC. I don’t blog [yet] but I do share original recipes, cookbook adaptations, healthier cocktails, and playlists inspired by the seasons and life in the district. I love utilizing nature’s herbs and produce to create naturally nourishing and balanced meals that feel good and also tell a story.
Growing up in a predominantly Italian-American household I understood the meaning of food and tradition from a young age. Dinner was a sacred event - everyone had to be at the table, and if a family member was going to be home late we were expected to wait for them [my Dad worked and traveled a lot, and my sister and I were very involved in sports]. However, despite these amazing family influences, the process of cooking was exhausting to me as a kid. Watching my mom stir sauce repeatedly and mundanely chop vegetables turned me off from ever viewing cooking as fun or relaxing - it looked painstakingly boring and technical [I’m more creative and fluid in how I operate].
It took until about halfway through college when I virtually hit rock bottom to start viewing cooking as an act of self-love and self-respect. When I began dating my current partner, this sentiment was further developed as he is a fellow food lover and a significantly better baker. In 2016, we started the Instagram as a joint project for fun, and it later became my creative outlet to cope with a toxic work environment and let off some steam [thankfully, that era is in the distant past]. The IG is constantly evolving, just like we are!”
Tell us about this dish. What is it & where do its origins lay?
“I’m calling this dish “Mom’s Christmas Cacciucco with Saffron and Coriander.” It’s basically a fish stew that Italians would make to use up the less desirable cuts of fresh, local fish. My mom has been making this since I was little to celebrate the Feast of The Seven Fishes, a Roman Catholic tradition that is celebrated on Christmas Eve. Over time, my mom got tired of cooking seven separate fishes like her mother did, so she started making a fish stew that incorporated seven types of seafood (clams, mussels, crab, shrimp/prawns, squid, scallops, white or other fish). I’ve traced its origins to the western coast of Tuscany and simplified it to be more doable for anytime of year by using a simple mix of shrimp, squid, and scallops [But you could substitute clams and mussels if you prefer]. I also adapted the flavor a bit to honor my biological roots - using coriander and saffron.”
Do you have a special memory associated with this dish? Why is this dish special to you?
“While it hasn’t been passed down several generations [my late grandmothers would kill me if I shared any of their recipes] this dish just reminds me of home. My mom makes a huge fish stew every Christmas Eve in a giant wide bowl and everyone sits around it and shares family style. The Feast of the Seven Fishes is rooted in the “sacrifice” of red meat prior to Christmas day, since red meat was considered a luxury in Italy and fish was abundant. The irony is that fish is significantly more expensive in the states, so this recipe is by no means a sacrifice! I’m not particularly religious, so I mostly enjoy it for the tradition.”
What inspires you to cook and/or bake?
“I’m inspired to cook by many things - family, friends, the seasons, making the most of our local produce, and connecting my adoptive and biological cultures. Food helps me both understand my identity and explore that of others. I also feel a sense of guilt for not being more involved in cooking when my grandparents were alive so cooking makes me feel more connected to them.”
What’s your favorite spice to cook with and why?
“This is a hard question! I really adore most spices for their unique properties, but I would say that coriander is my most frequently used spice. I love the citrus-y and nutty profile. It’s particularly tasty when toasted or ground in a mortar and pestle. It’s often found in complex blends but I enjoy adding it with just salt and pepper to anything from lamb to fish. I also use it in my pistachio pesto recipe.”
Do you have anyone you look up to in the culinary world?
“Samin Nosrat is my celebrity chef crush. When I first started cooking more intuitively I was also starting my career in education and I thought to myself, “I’d love to write a book that teaches people HOW to cook and understand flavor, instead of WHAT to cook.” When Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat was released it did exactly that. She is intuitive, intelligent, hilarious, loving, and a fantastic story teller. I am also frequently inspired by Anthony Bourdain [obviously], Christina Ha, Gaggan Anand, and Gabriela Camara.”
Why are you passionate about cooking?
“I am passionate about cooking because it allows me to explore and express my own creativity without any constraints or consequences. For so long I thought cooking was a technical process in which you must follow the directions to a T or it would be a failure. Once I taught myself cooking basics in adulthood, I realized that you definitely do not need a recipe to cook, and a world of opportunity to invent opened up. My love language is “acts of service” so cooking/serving in general is my way of showing love and care for others.
I also love food because it allows me to peer into and appreciate the culture, experiences, and traditions of others. I’m passionate about people, even more than I am about food, so I see food as a window into someone else’s world [like the title of this interview series!]. This is why I think it is especially important to learn about the context and traditions surrounding the international food we consume and adapt, and to be especially careful and respectful in how we discuss it. For example, I will occasionally cook pork with Levantine spices and pairings. There’s obviously a conflict of interest in taking cooking methods from a predominantly Muslim region and slapping it on pork. But, the first step is recognizing the meaning behind that and providing context [also, Italians freaking love pork]. I think that’s the beauty in recipe development -- we can both be traditional and inventive, learners and teachers, all at the same time.”
Marissa’s Mom’s Christmas Cacciucco with Saffron & Coriander
Recipe Notes:
In general, I am not a particularly exact cook, so try not to take the measurements too seriously. This recipe is fairly simple and adaptable. You can add more or less dried spices as you desire. I don’t put salt and pepper on the ingredient list because I think those are ingredients you should always be adding to taste. Sprinkle salt in as the broth bubbles, and taste a few times over the simmering period.
Seafood:
You can substitute seafood as you desire. I chose to use a frozen uncooked blend of medium shrimp, squid, and small scallops. They defrost and cook in the sauce and the extra water is fine. If you want to make it extra fancy for guests, you could opt for fresh mussels and prawns that give it an elevated presentation.
Serving:
Recommended to pour the stew over al dente angel hair and top with fresh parsley. You should also serve with a side of a toasted baguette with ghee and garlic for dipping. This dish is also one that reheats OK, but should be served family style and finished in one evening. If you choose to reheat, I recommend keeping noodles in a separate container rather than combining.
Ingredients:
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion or 2-3 shallots, diced
6 cloves of garlic, diced
½ tbsp whole coriander seeds [can also opt for fennel or oregano, but not all three]
2 16oz Cans of whole San Marzano Tomatoes
1-2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Italian chili paste [I buy Amore brand in a tube, but you could substitute with Harissa for a Tunisian flair, or simply red pepper flakes].
½ Box of Seafood Stock (~2 cups)
3-5 cups of seafood of choice
1 cup dry, Sicilian Grillo White Wine [any extra dry citrus-y white wine is fine, but I like a wine that is good enough to drink alongside the dish]
1 pinch of saffron
Fresh parsley
2 boxes angel hair pasta
Directions:
In a large non-stick pot or dutch oven, saute the diced onions/shallots on medium heat until they begin to cook down and become translucent [2-3 minutes]. Add the garlic and coriander seeds in and cook lightly until fragrant but not browned. It’s extremely important that none of these ingredients are burned as they will flavor the entire stew.
*Tip to avoid burning: preheat the pot on medium heat with the oil, then add the onions when the oil begins to bubble, and immediately lower the temperature to the lowest setting.
Add the cans of tomatoes (including all liquid) the seafood stock, Sicilian dry wine, saffron, and tomato paste. Add salt and pepper and chili paste as desired. Allow to simmer [“low” or 2/6] for 2-4 hours, partially covered [do not completely cover]. Check on it every so often and taste for your desired saltiness and spiciness. [If you can’t get this dish started around lunchtime, it will be fine if simmered for only an hour or two].
About 30 minutes to an hour before serving, add the frozen uncooked seafood. If you are adding fresh seafood, this can probably be done about 15 minutes prior to serving. Check a piece of shrimp to see if it has cooked through.
Cook the angel hair al dente [rapid boil for 2-3 minutes max]. Serve the stew in a large serving dish with high sides to keep in the liquid. Add the drained angel hair to the stew if serving to a large group [see serving notes]. Garnish with the mussels and prawns [if using] and ensure that all guests have bread for dipping and a glass of wine!