Authentic San Francisco Cioppino Seafood Stew
User Reviews
4.9
Authentic San Francisco Cioppino Seafood Stew
Description
San Francisco Cioppino is a seafood stew that begins with sautéing onion, fennel, garlic, and fresh parsley in butter until softened. Dried herbs like basil, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes are added to build the flavor base, followed by white wine, crushed and diced canned tomatoes, fish stock, and bay leaves. The simmering broth melds these ingredients to form a rich, aromatic base.
Various fresh seafood is added sequentially by cooking times to ensure optimal texture: clams and mussels are added first to open, followed by crab legs cracked for ease of eating, shrimp, scallops, and finally firm white fish chunks placed on top and cooked just until opaque. The resulting stew offers a balance of tender shellfish and flaky fish in a bright tomato broth with herbal and slightly spicy undertones.
This cioppino is well-suited to serving with crusty bread to soak up the flavorful broth. You can substitute fish or chicken stock combined with clam juice if seafood stock is unavailable, and alternative crab types can be used depending on availability. The inclusion of whole crab legs provides a satisfying presentation, although crab meat alone can simplify serving.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 fennel bulb thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ parsley chopped, bunch, fresh
- 1 tablespoon basil dried
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon thyme dried
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
- 1 ½ cups white wine optional - can replace with additional fish or chicken stock
- 1 crushed tomatoes 28-ounce can
- 1 diced tomatoes 14.5-ounce can
- 5 cups fish stock or seafood stock
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 pound clam small
- 1 pound mussels scrubbed and debearded
- 2 pounds crab I used 1 whole cooked Dungeness crab**, with its legs removed from its body
- 1 pound Shrimp peeled and deveined, uncooked, large
- 1 pound bay scallops
- ½ pound cod fillet cut into large chunks (or other firm-fleshed fish like halibut or salmon)
- basil chopped, for garnish, fresh
- parsley chopped, for garnish, fresh
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large dutch oven, then add the onion, fennel, garlic, parsley, sauteing until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, basil, salt, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute 2 minutes longer.
- Add the white wine, crushed and diced tomatoes, fish stock, and bay leaves, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes so the flavors can blend. While the broth simmers, prepare the crab by removing the crab legs from the body (if not already done for you) and using a nutcracker to crack the shells (leave the meat in the shell) so that the meat can be easily removed once the cioppino is served.
- Increase the heat to medium and add the clams and mussels to the broth and cook for 5 minutes until they start to open. Then add the crab legs and cook for another minute, followed by the shrimp and scallops. Finally, lay the chunks of cod on top of the broth and cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until the mussels and clams are open, the shrimp curl and the scallops are just firm.
- Ladle the cioppino into large bowls garnish with chopped fresh parsley and basil. Serve with warm, crusty sourdough bread! Have plenty of napkins, extra bowls for shells, and nutcrackers and tiny forks on hand for the crab.
Notes
- If seafood stock is unavailable, substitute with chicken stock plus a small amount of clam juice for flavor.
- Use crab varieties like snow crab, blue claw, stone crab claws, or Alaskan King crab if Dungeness crab is not accessible.
- Whole crab legs create a classic presentation but crab meat alone can be used for easier eating.
- Crack the crab shells before cooking to allow easier access to the meat after cooking.
- The recipe is adapted from AllRecipes for an authentic San Francisco cioppino experience.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6adults
Amount Per Serving
Calories 519 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 519kcal | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
| Protein | 52g | 104% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 227mg | 76% |
| Sodium | 2371mg | 99% |
| Potassium | 1675mg | 36% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 1090IU | 22% |
| Vitamin C | 31mg | 34% |
| Calcium | 275mg | 28% |
| Iron | 7mg | 39% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
You'll Also Love
