Hailing from San Francisco and chock full of the very best flavors, Cioppino is a hearty seafood stew that’s brothy, nourishing, and out of this world delicious. This stew is perfect for all seasons, including summer, and needs only some crusty bread to complete the meal.
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Straight out of San Fran
As a kid, I grew up hearing my dad rave about Zuppa di Pesce and watching Julia Child make bouillabaisse, but it wasn’t until I was a little older that I heard about Cioppino, the West Coast answer to seafood stew.
While these stews are all loaded with seafood, zuppa di pesce is often served over pasta, while cioppino is usually served as a soup. Oh, and the major difference is the crab. Cioppino includes crab, usually Dungeness crab, which is prolific in the San Francisco area and the entire Pacific Northwest. In my case, I’m using snow crab because that’s what was available to me here on Long Island.
When I tell you that I hope you make this cioppino, it is wholeheartedly – this is truly one of the most delicious meals you can make. It’s light and brothy, packed with all the best flavors of the sea, and an absolute delight for the taste buds. Just be sure to serve with crusty bread!
Note: Cioppino would be an excellent choice for the Feast of the 7 Fishes!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Fish. I’m using cod, but you can also use other meaty white fish such as monkfish, striped bass, or red snapper.
- Crab. Dungeness is traditionally used in Cioppino, but can be hard to source. Instead, I’m using snow crab legs.
- Clams. Little neck clams looked great when I was shopping for my ingredients, but please use whatever type of clam, mussel, or cockle looks best when you get your ingredients.
- Shrimp. Extra large shrimp (u26-sized) is what I’m using, but you could use larger or smaller shrimp.
- Broth. The broth consists of tomatoes, clam juice, and dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc. If you cannot have wine, omit and replace with more clam juice.
- Fennel. A small fennel bulb brings great sweet flavor to cioppino.
- Herbs. I love the combination of parsley, bay leaf, and thyme for this seafood stew.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make Cioppino
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat saute the onion and fennel in butter and olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook until very soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes or until fragrant, then add the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add the wine and turn the heat to high, cooking the wine for 90 seconds while scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits.
- Add the tomatoes, clam juice, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to a very gentle simmer and add the clams and cod and cover with a lid. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the clams start to open.
- Gently add the crab legs and shrimp and be careful to not disturb or break the fish. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Uncover and remove the pot from the heat. Discard any clams that have not opened by this point, as they are likely dead. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper levels, then add parsley and stir gently. Serve in bowls with crusty bread and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a thyme sprig to finish. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Sourcing the ingredients. The key to a really delicious cioppino is the quality of the ingredients, namely the seafood. It’s better for you to use what is fresh and available to you rather than try to match what I have listed exactly. If mussels are fresher than clams, use them. If small shrimp are better than extra large, use those. If you live in an area where blue crab is abundant, and you want to use that, go for it. See what I’m getting at? The cioppino will only be as good as the ingredients you use.
- Serve promptly. Yes, you can eat cioppino leftover, but this is a dish that is meant to be enjoyed right away, as is the case with most seafood dishes. So eat promptly and enjoy.
More seafood recipes
If you love cioppino, give these other seafood recipes a try!
If you’ve enjoyed this Cioppino recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
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Cioppino (Hearty Seafood Stew)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 small fennel bulb core removed and diced
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 1 1/4 cups dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or chardonnay
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes blender pulsed or hand crushed
- 4 cups clam juice
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 large bay leaf
- 16 little neck clams scrubbed, see notes below
- 3/4 pound cod cut into 4 large pieces, can sub other meaty white fish like monkfish, striped bass, red snapper, etc.
- 1 pound extra large shrimp approximately u26 size, cleaned and deveined
- 1 pound precooked snow crab legs can leave whole or break apart into smaller pieces at joints
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
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Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot to medium-low with the olive oil and butter. Add the onion, fennel, and a pinch of salt and saute until very soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more until fragrant.
- Next, add the crushed red pepper flakes, cook for 30 seconds, then add the wine and turn heat to high. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits. Cook the wine for 90 seconds then and add the tomatoes, clam juice, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes before adding any seafood.
- Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Add the clams and cod and cover. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the clams just start to open.
- Gently add the shrimp and crab legs, careful not to disturb and break the fish, and cover with the lid for 3 minutes. Uncover and remove the pot from the heat. Any clams that do not open should be discarded because they were most likely dead prior to cooking.
- Taste test and adjust salt and pepper levels then add the parsley and stir gently. Serve in bowls with crusty bread on the side. Granish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a thyme sprig. Enjoy!
Notes
- Servings. Makes 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings. 1 pound of snow crab will yield approximately 8 legs or 2 per person.
- Salt levels. Go easy on the salt. Season with salt and pepper to taste right at the end to get the flavors just right.
- Seafood. Other types of clams and fish can be substituted. Mussels are great too. Use what’s fresh and available.
- Leftovers. Cioppino should be eaten right away but leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be gently reheated over the stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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