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Cioppino

Our homemade Cioppino seafood stew recipe is here to impress, with a flavorful tomato broth and loaded with your favorite seafood. Don't forget to serve it with crusty sourdough, for dipping.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 6
Calories: 381 kcal
Course: Main Course , Soup
Cuisine: Italian , American

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 bulb fennel , chopped
  • 1 onion , chopped
  • 3 shallots , diced
  • 4-6 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes , or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry white wine*
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 28oz cans San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes , or use crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • Lemon wedges , for serving
  • Sourdough or crusty artisan bread , for serving
Seafood:
  • 1-2 lbs dungeness or king crab , in the shell
  • 1 pound large raw shrimp , with shells and tails
  • 1 pound fresh white fish , like halibut, cod, sea bass, cut into 1-in pieces
  • 1 pound fresh mussels , debearded
  • 1 pound fresh clams , rinsed

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Make Seafood Stock*: Use kitchen shears to cut open the crab legs and remove the meat, then place the cracked shells into a stock pot. Remove shells and tails from shrimp then add to the stockpot. Add enough water to the pot to cover the shells by about an inch. Add a pinch of salt. Cook over medium high heat until water reaches a bare simmer. Add clams and mussles on top (don’t stir) and cover pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until shells open up. Uncover, remove from heat and set aside
  2. Tomato Base: Add oil to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion, fennel and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Cook until onion is soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes then cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well. Add wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, and oregano.
  3. Strain Stock: Set clams and mussels aside and strain seafood stock through a fine mesh strainer with a cheesecloth over it (if you don’t have a cheesecloth, just don’t add the bottom tablespoons of liquid, that may have sand in it) into a measuring cup. Add 4 cups seafood stock to the pot. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Add seafood: Just before you’re ready to serve the stew, bring to a simmer, stirring. Cut the fish into 1 inch pieces and drizzle fish and shrimp with a little oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add the fish, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in shrimp and crab and simmer about 2-3 minutes, just until shrimp are pink. Stir in steamed clams and mussels. Taste the sauce and add more seasoning, if needed. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
  5. Serve: Ladle stew into bowls and serve with fresh lemon wedges, crusty bread, and extra bowls for placing shells in (and lots of napkins)!

Notes

  • Make Ahead Instructions: Make the tomato base and seafood stock a few hours or up to a night before serving.
  • Freezing Instructions: I don't recommend freezing cioppino with the seafood, as the seafood will overcook when rewarmed. But any leftover tomato broth could be frozen and used another day, with fresh seafood.
  • Seafood Variations: You could replace the crab with scallops (add them at the same time as the fish). Calamari would also be a great addition, and can be added near the end. I don’t recommend using oysters or salmon as their flavor may overpower the dish.
  • Crab: You can add the crab, in its shell, to the broth, if you want to serve it in the shell, but I think the shells help add rich flavor to the seafood stock.
  • Wine: don’t use “cooking wine”, but instead choose an inexpensive dry white wine, like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. I don’t drink alcohol, but I do use wine in cooking because it adds a depth of flavor you can’t get otherwise (most of the alcohol cooks out). If you’re against cooking with wine, you can omit it, or add a little splash of white wine vinegar.
  • Seafood Stock: You could substitute 4 cups store-bought seafood stock, and add the clams and mussels at the same time as the shrimp and crab.

Nutrition Information

Calories 381kcal (19%) Carbohydrates 13g (4%) Protein 45g (90%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 0.01g Cholesterol 191mg (64%) Sodium 1666mg (69%) Potassium 1164mg (33%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 936IU (19%) Vitamin C 21mg (23%) Calcium 143mg (14%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 381

% Daily Value*

Calories 381kcal 19%
Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Protein 45g 90%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 0.01g 1%
Cholesterol 191mg 64%
Sodium 1666mg 69%
Potassium 1164mg 25%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 936IU 19%
Vitamin C 21mg 23%
Calcium 143mg 14%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.