Cioppino is our go-to once we need a hearty, comforting seafood dish. Served with crusty bread for dipping (or over pasta like my household likes!), it’s briny, wealthy, and loaded with no matter recent seafood you like.
Cioppino
Cioppino comes from the Italian and Portuguese fishermen of San Francisco, who would toss the day’s catch—crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, and fish—right into a pot with tomatoes, garlic, wine, and herbs. The result’s a wealthy, hearty seafood stew or soup that’s full of taste. It’s excellent with crusty bread for dipping, however my household loves it spooned over pasta. For an additional variation, attempt my Portuguese Seafood Stew.
What You’ll Want
Listed below are the substances for cioppino. You’ll want to purchase recent clams and mussels, however be at liberty to make use of frozen, thawed fish and shrimp. In case you can’t discover mussels or clams, I’ve supplied substitutions below “Variations” beneath. See the recipe card beneath for the precise measurements.
- Aromatics: Fennel, onion, and garlic. In case you’ve by no means cooked with fennel, it has a gentle licorice style that mellows because it cooks.
- Seasoning: Crushed pink pepper, kosher salt
- Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso are my favourite) type the broth, and tomato paste deepens the flavour.
- White Wine: Select a dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio, that’s good sufficient to drink.
- Bay Leaves provide delicate natural taste and depth.
- Fish: A agency, meatier white fish, like halibut, sea bass, or monkfish, is the finest fish for cioppino because it’ll previous its form higher.
- Different Seafood: Littleneck clams, mussels, and jumbo or massive shrimp
- Contemporary Herbs: Fennel fronds, recent thyme or parsley, for garnish
The right way to Make Cioppino
This straightforward cioppino recipe cooks in a single pot and is prepared in below an hour from begin to end. See the recipe card on the backside for printable instructions.




- Saute the aromatics (fennel, onion, garlic, pink pepper, and salt) in a big pot till comfortable.
- Caramelize the Tomato Paste: Add the tomato paste and cook dinner for a couple of minutes. It’s achieved when it transforms to a darker, brick-red coloration and now not sticks to the pan.
- Simmer the Stew: Pour within the wine and simmer for a minute. Then, add the tomatoes, water, and bay leaves. Simmer and canopy on low for 20 to 25 minutes till the flavors meld.
- Cook dinner the Seafood: Add the clams and mussels, cowl the pot, and cook dinner for five minutes. Add the shrimp and fish and proceed cooking till the clams and mussels open, the shrimp flip pink, and the fish is opaque.
- The right way to Serve: Discard the bay leaves and any unopened clams and mussels. Garnish with parsley or fennel fronds. Serve with loads of napkins and an additional bowl for tossing the shells!

Variations
- In case you can’t discover recent fennel, use fennel seeds.
- Seafood Choices: In case you’re allergic or can’t discover one of many 4, you may swap it out. Virtually any seafood, like lobster, calamari, or scallops, can be scrumptious.
- Maintain It Delicate: Use black pepper as a substitute of pink.
- Skip the wine and use vegetable or hen broth (or much more water). Seafood inventory would additionally work in case you have it.
Serving Recommendations
Listed below are some sides that will go nicely with cioppino for dinner:
- Carbs: Use some crusty bread to take in all of the broth. We find it irresistible with sourdough bread. It’s additionally good over pasta (my household’s favourite!) or rice.
- Greens: Add a facet salad or roasted vegetable, like asparagus or inexperienced beans.

Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.
- Freeze it for as much as 3 months.
- Reheat the stew on the range or microwave till heat.
FAQs
Cioppino originated in San Francisco, CA, within the early 1900s. Italian fishermen created this wealthy, tomato-based stew by throwing in no matter leftover seafood that they had from that day’s catch.
It’s pronounced like “che-pee-no.”

Extra Seafood Recipes You’ll Love
For extra dinner concepts utilizing seafood, take a look at my Seafood Recipes assortment, plus these 5 scrumptious seafood recipes to encourage your subsequent meal!
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Dimension: 1 ½ cups (2 shrimp, 2 clams, ~4 mussels, 2 items of fish)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small fennel bulb, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed pink pepper flakes
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- ¾ cup white wine
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, corresponding to Tuttorosso
- 2 cups water, *
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 littleneck clams, scrubbed nicely
- ½ lb mussels, scrubbed nicely
- 1 dozen jumbo shrimp
- 2 6-ounce halibut fillets, or any white fish, lower into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- parsley, or fennel fronds, for garnish
- crusty bread, for absorbing the flavorful broth (optionally available)
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Warmth oil in a big stockpot over medium warmth; add fennel, onion, garlic, crushed pink pepper flakes and salt. Cook dinner till fragrant and comfortable, 6-8 minutes.
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Add tomato paste and cook dinner till the paste begins to caramelize. You’ll be able to inform that is occurring by the colour altering barely darker (to a brick pink) and now not sticking to the pan, about 3 minutes.
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Add the white wine and convey to a simmer, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, 2 cups water and bay leaves. Simmer, coated on low for 20-25 minutes, till the flavors meld. Add extra water as wanted on your desired thickness.
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Add clams and mussels; cowl and cook dinner, 5 to six minutes. Add the shrimp and white fish; cowl and cook dinner till the clams and mussels open totally, the shrimp flip pink and the fish is opaque and cooked by means of, one other 8 to 10 minutes, flipping midway. Discard bay leaves and any unopened clams.
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Garnish with parsley or fennel fronds and serve.
Final Step:
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- Avoid wasting fennel fronds for garnish!
- A dry white wine, like pinot grigio, works finest.
- Meatier whitefish, like halibut, sea bass or monkfish, work finest as they may maintain their form. Most all seafood might be added to this and profit the flavour; the addition of lobster, calamari and scallops take advantage of sense.
*Depending on how thick you need it.
Serving: 1 ½ cups (2 shrimp, 2 clams, ~4 mussels, 2 items of fish), Energy: 265 kcal, Carbohydrates: 27 g, Protein: 28 g, Fats: 5 g, Saturated Fats: 1 g, Ldl cholesterol: 83 mg, Sodium: 1207 mg, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 13 g